Promoting sport: Shahbaz says academy being established in City to train boxers

British boxer Amir Khan calls on chief minister.

LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Sunday that a state-of-the-art boxing academy was being set up in the city with the assistance of the Punjab Sports Board and the World Boxing Council (WBC).

He was speaking to British boxer Amir Khan. Sharif felicitated Khan for becoming the champion of the council’s Silverlight Welterweight Category. He said Khan had won laurels for the nation in the sport. The chief minister said the academy was being set up to train Pakistani boxers. Sharif said the WBC president and vice-president would be visiting Pakistan soon in this regard. He said the establishment of the academy would hone the skills of Pakistani boxers and promote the sport. Sharif invited Khan to train Pakistani boxers at the academy.



The chief minister said the Peshawar carnage had saddened the entire nation. Sharif said the massacre was unprecedented. He said the blood of the martyrs would not go to waste. The chief minister said the entire nation had united against terrorism.

He said the political, religious and military leadership were on the same page regarding the need to rid the nation of the scourge of terrorism. The chief minister said citizens had rendered great sacrifices in the war against terrorism. Sharif said the nation would be rid of the menace of terrorism with national unity.

He said the terrorism trend could be arrested by promoting sports. The chief minister said the government was implementing a comprehensive programme in this regard. Sharif said the biggest youth festival in the history of the nation had been organised by his government. He said many world records had been set during the festival. The chief minister said the nation was brimming with sporting talent.

He said the youth festival had been organised to discover gifted youngsters. The chief minister said it was imperative to promote sport for the benefit of public health. He said the youth could be prevented from going wayward by promoting sport. The chief minister said new sports grounds and state-of-the-art sports centres had been established in the Punjab. He said the facilities had been equipped with modern amenities.

Khan expressed grief over the Peshawar carnage. He said he was pleased to note that the chief minister was keen on promoting sports. Khan said he was willing to train Pakistani boxers. Khan commended the decision to set up a state-of-the-art boxing academy in the Punjab.

Sports Minister Rana Mashhood, Political Secretary to Chief Minister Afzaal Bhatti and some relatives of the boxer were also present on the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2014.