National Karate Championship begins in Abbottabad

PESHAWAR, Jun 20 (APP):Four-day National Karate Championship kicked off in the scenic city of Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The championship was officially inaugurated by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs, Syed Fakhar Jehan, who cut the ribbon to mark the beginning of the event.

The opening ceremony was attended by Deputy Commissioner Abbottabad Captain (Retd.) Sanaullah Khan, who welcomed the provincial minister upon his arrival.

Also present were Director General Sports Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tashfeen Haider, Chairman of Pakistan Karate Federation Muhammad Jahangir, Secretary PKF Andaleeb Sandhu, RSO Hazara Ahmad Zaman, President of KP Karate Association Khurshid Khan, Senior Vice President Khalid Noor, Secretary Asim Qureshi, Director of Sports Operations Jamshed Baloch, and Assistant Director Finance Shah Faisal.

Organized by the Pakistan Karate Federation in collaboration with the Directorate General of Sports KP and the KP Karate Association, the national championship is being held at Government Postgraduate College No. 1 Abbottabad.

Teams from all four provinces, as well as Islamabad, Pakistan Army, WAPDA, Police, Railways, and HEC, both male and female, are participating in the event.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Minister Fakhar Jehan emphasized that sports play a vital role in engaging youth in positive activities.

He said the provincial government is taking practical steps to promote sports in line with the vision of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan and KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur.

He assured that talented male and female players in every sport will be provided with equal opportunities to shine at the national and international levels.

He also announced that a Sports Festival would be held in Swat Valley in August, featuring regional and national competitions in various games, followed by Hazara Games.

The minister expressed pleasure over the significant participation of players from Balochistan, noting the immense martial arts talent in the province.

Earlier, Director General Sports KP Tashfeen Haider welcomed players, officials, and judges from across the country, expressing hope that such events will continue annually to offer athletes more opportunities to improve their performance and bring pride to the province and the country on international platforms.

In his address, Minister Fakhar Jehan also announced cash prizes for the top-performing teams: PKR 200,000 for first place, PKR 100,000 for second place, and PKR 75,000 for third place. He reiterated that sports are a priority for the KP government, which is why equal sports facilities and infrastructure are being developed across all districts for both male and female athletes.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the minister distributed prizes among the best-performing male and female athletes of the championship.