South Asian Championship: Pakistan netball bids to bring back international action

Event to feature India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal after 12-year hiatus.

KARACHI: The Pakistan Netball Federation (PNF) is set to revive the South Asian Championship after 12 years as teams from India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Nepal are set to compete in the event in June.

PNF Secretary Mudassar Arain said that it will be the sport’s first international event of the year and added that the cost of holding it and preparing the national team will be around Rs3.5 million.

Arain said that the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has approved the budget for the mega tournament.



“It’s going to be a big event, the South Asian Championship will take place after 12 years,” Arain told The Express Tribune. “We’ve sent out invitations to all the countries in the region. I have spoken to the Indian federation as well and they will send the confirmation on Wednesday.”

He further said that the PSB will also provide the venue, boarding and lodging facilities for the visiting teams and that holding the event in Islamabad will ensure good security for the tournament.

“The PSB has been helpful. We chose Islamabad primarily because it is secure and the lodgings are closer to the venue and we’ll be using the PSB complex during the event.”

Meanwhile, he said that the national camp will begin in Karachi with 22 players on May 4. The players were selected for the camp after the national championship that took place earlier this year.

The secretary emphasised that the quality of players have improved in Pakistan since 2003.“We have better players than we had before. In fact, we can defeat India in the upcoming championship. Apart from skill, an athletes’ physique matters a great deal in netball. We have taller and stronger players now.

“Some of our players are seven-feet tall, which means we’ll have an advantage in goalkeepers and shooters in the tournament,” concluded Arain.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 30^th, 2014.

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.