PAF, along with the federation, is providing free education and skiing training for the children, said SFP spokesperson Obaidur Rehman Abbasi PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI: Pakistan celebrated the World Snow Day for the first time at Kalabagh and Naltar simultaneously yesterday.
Winter Olympians Muhammad Abbas and Muhammad Karim also participated in the activities at Naltar in Gilgit-Baltistan, while students from schools and colleges celebrated by taking part in various competitions at Kalabagh in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
According to the Ski federation of Pakistan (SFP), the International Ski Federation introduced the snow day in 2009, however, this is the first time that the local athletes have come together to use this as an opportunity to promote winter sports in the country.
“It’s the first time that we’ve celebrated the World Snow Day here in Pakistan,” SFP spokesperson Obaidur Rehman Abbasi told The Express Tribune.
“It was a great event as many students and their families were at Kalabagh to witness the events. The SFP introduced skiing basics to these aspiring athletes.
“This will also give the local children in Kalabagh and Naltar the opportunity to come forward as Pakistan Air Force, along with the federation, is providing free education and skiing training for the children.”
Meanwhile, Abbas and Karim also trained upcoming athletes in Naltar and demonstrated various techniques.
SFP official also said that this is the second phase of the ‘bring children to snow’ campaign, a programme which was launched in 2009 by the FIS. The project aims at encouraging FIS-affiliated countries to promote skiing among the grassroots.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 19th, 2015.
Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ