PHF wins Olympic Day Activity Award

KARACHI: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) said on Sunday it had won the International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) Olympic Day Activity Award.

As a result, the federation would receive funding from the FIH to support development projects over the coming months, it claimed.

On Olympic day, on June 23, PHF invited Olympic stars and national players to inspire the next generation of hockey players.

The award was initiated by FIH last spring and more than 40 nations responded, it said. The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) initiated a number of activities that brought hockey to more than 2,000 participants.

These included Hockey-5 competitions at the National Hockey Stadium, Lahore.Several Olympic gold medallists turned up to support the project.

Pakistan Olympic Association and government officials, including Punjab Minister for Sports, were also there.

Besides the activities at the National Stadium, there were also summer camps and hockey competitions in Shahdrah town (Lahore), Shaikhupura and in Sukkur.

PHF organised Hockey-5 tournaments at rehabilitation facilities for drug addicts in Wazirabad and Karachi. 

IOC president Thomas Bach presented Tayyab Ikram, the Pakistani CEO of the Asian Hockey Federation and continental representative, the award during half-time in the men’s Olympic hockey gold medal match between Argentina and Belgium.

“On behalf of the Pakistan Hockey Federation, I want to say how proud I am that they have received this award. Pakistan is a nation that is fiercely passionate about its hockey heritage. “Through Olympic Day, we hope that we not only inspired the hockey stars of the future but also inspired a whole new generation of hockey players of all abilities,” he said on the occasion.

Kelly Fairweather, FIH CEO, said: “The aim of Olympic Day is for the world to get active, learn about the Olympic values and discover new sports. A huge number of our National Associations detailed their activity which proved incredibly inspiring, with many innovative projects undertaken. However, Pakistan’s entry ticked the boxes in so many ways. They are to be congratulated for their vision and delivery of their Olympic Day activities.”