Dreamworld Resort to host World Wrestling Champions on Dec 21

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The buzz and excitement in the rings will return to Karachi with a bang with more than 15 foreign participants expected to set alight the one-day event titled as the World Wrestling Champions at the picturesque Dreamworld Resort on December 21. 

“We had witnessed the participation of four foreign international wrestlers at the first-ever competition of its kind to be held in Pakistan earlier this year but now we have received confirmation from as many as 17 combatants from abroad for the upcoming event which will be much bigger than the previous one,” Nouman Suleman, President, Pro Wrestling Federation of Pakistan (PWFP), announced in the media launch organized at the Dreamworld Resort on November 24. 

“We are excited to be bringing such a historic wrestling event to Pakistan. It is important for us to organize something new and exciting for the fans of this sport. We hope that through organizing such events, Pakistan gains recognition as an important destination for world wrestling and other mega sporting events,” he remarked. 

Hailed as the biggest event in Pakistan’s Pro Wrestling history yet, it will witness the participation of eminent wrestlers from USA, UK, UAE, Mexico, Greece and Singapore who will be coming over to Karachi to lock horns with the top challengers of the country. 

The international wrestlers, which include former and current champions from WWE, TNA, AEW, Lucha Underground and Indie circuits, are expected to be engaged in tough and exciting contests with the local talent. 

“We are more than glad to be playing our role in the promotion of soft image of our country as we reckon that the success of the our international wrestling events will be particularly helpful in sending positive vibes from Pakistan which will encourage the top athletes of the world to continue visiting our country without any apprehensions or reservations,” Faraz-ul-Huda, Head of Marketing, Dreamworld Resort, observed. 

“As part of our policy of promoting the neglected sports, we had joined hands with the PWFP to hold Rumble in Pakistan earlier this year which was hailed as a landmark event. In order to promote wrestling further, we are now helping them organize another event next month which is expected to be even more thrilling spectacle than the previous one,” he hoped. 

Abdul Jabbar Rathod, Executive Director, Dreamworld Resort, in his brief remarks, reckoned that the upcoming World Wrestling Champions will not only turn out to be an exciting day for wrestling fans but it will also help further establish Pakistan’s position in the world of wrestling. 

“We are happy to be partnering with Dreamworld Resort for this historic event. It is important to introduce new sporting avenues to the youth of our country, especially a sport such as wrestling, which, until recent years, has only ever been seen on television or online.” Zofeen Ihsan, Chief Operating Officer, Xenith Public Relations, noted. 

The media launch was also attended by some of the leading wrestlers, having performed impressively in the Rumble in Pakistan on April 28, who vowed to upstage the foreign participants in the World Wrestling Champions.

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Dreamworld Cue Sports Championships 2011 conclude

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The Dreamworld Resort & Golf Club, located on the outskirts of Karachi in the vicinity of the Northern Bypass, remains a cherished destination for thousands of its members and many more who come to know about it from different sources.

The resort offers a lot of recreational facilities to prompt the members to visit it on a regular basis and as usual there’s greater buzz and activity during the months of June of July when the majority of the educational institutions of the metropolis is closed and the families are looking for avenues to keep their kids and young children entertained.

The Dreamworld Cue Sports Championships were launched more than a decade ago during the summer months. They have been attracting good crowds since inception and it remains one of the showpiece events in their calendar. More people have come to know about it because of its extensive media coverage during the last few years.

The finals of the 12th Dreamworld Cue Sports Championships 2011 were held on July 24 and not surprisingly there was excitement in the air and the participants as well as their supporters were enthusiastic around the Billiards Parlour.

Despite the uncertain law and order situation of the city during this period the participation was to the satisfaction of the organizers and there were not too many walkovers in the initial stages.

In fact the city situation was far from normal when the 12th Dreamworld Cue Sports Festival 2011 concluded with the prize distribution ceremony soon after the conclusion of the finals. The environment at the resort remained electric but obviously returning to homes quickly was already at the back of their minds when the function commenced.

The popular figure of Shahid Nazir Minhas, one of the top ranked cueists of the country in the recent past, retained his snooker title successfully but was dethroned in the Pool masters event.

The tall and strongly built Shahid, who was active in the national circuit until a few years ago, continued to dominate the snooker tournament while Umar Saleem proved his mettle by claiming the Pool masters title.

Shahid retained the snooker trophy by whipping Rashid Habib 4-1 in the final with the frame scores of 68-60, 56043, 27-50, 84-25, 83-4. In the semifinals Shahid had blanked Ahsan Ahmed in straight frames with the scores of 68-31, 79-42, 80-21 while Rashid meted out similar treatment to Mohammad Zohaib with the scores being 41-30, 63-23, 63-38.

In the Pool masters semifinal defending champion Shahid was stunned by Umar Ahmed 2-5. Umar Saleem, who had prevailed over Rashid Habib 5-3 in the other semifinal, surprised Umar Ahmed in the final 5-3.

Fahim Iqbal won the Pool Amateurs title by whipping Hasan Aslam 3-1 in the final. In the semifinals Fahim had overpowered Ali Ahmed 4-2 while Hasan edged out Faizan Ahmed 4-3.

S G M Asim emerged triumphant in the Pool Seniors competition as he outclassed Aslam Qamar 4-2 in the final. In the semifinals Asim had outwitted Abdul Rauf 4-3 and Aslam defeated Saud Hasan by the same margin. Sadia clinched the Pool Ladies trophy by beating Sania 2-1 in the final.

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Waheed Baloch shines in Dreamworld golf tourney

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
Waheed Baloch of the Karachi Golf Club (KGC) fired spectacular rounds of 63 and 65 and with total 128 to win the Pros event of the Sindh Golf Association (SGA) Promotional Golf Tournament staged at the Dreamworld Resort & Golf Club near the Northern Bypass in Karachi.

The vastly experienced Waheed produced brilliant accuracy and putting at the greens and fairways of Dreamworld Golf Club. Waheed's KGC colleague, Javed Inayat clinched the runner-up spot 10 strokes behind with rounds of 71 and 67 to end with an aggregate of 138. Amjad Yousuf was third with total of 140 among the pack of 38 golfers.

In fact, the golfers of the KGC dominated all the three events, Pros, Senior Pros and Caddies, spread over three days.

Following the top trio of Waheed Baloch, Javed Inayat and Amjad Yousuf were Ahmed Saeed, Afsar Ali and Noor Bakhsh, also from KGC. Mohammad Arif and Misal Khan of DHA ended seventh and eighth respectively.

Khair Mohammad and Abdul Rasheed, both of them from KGC, finished joint first in the senior pros with 80 points each while Qamar Ahmed of DHA and Abdul Sattar of KGC shared the third position with 81 points each.

Mohammad Shahzad of KGC won the caddies event with 64 points while Mohsin Ali and Amjad Khan, also from KGC, finished second and third respectively.

The three-day tournament, the first one to be held under the auspices of the SGA at the Dreamworld Golf Club, proved to be a success story. The participating Pros, Senior Pros and Caddies appreciated the hospitality provided by the hosts who even didn’t charge any tournament fee.

The hosts recognized the role of the Executive Committee SGA in promoting the sport with special mention being made of their President, Aslam R Khan, and Secretary, Ahmed Abdul Bari.

Speaking at the prize distribution ceremony, chief guest Ashraf Khan Ghori highlighted the efforts of SGA in promoting the game of golf in Sindh. He highlighted the fact that Sindh has recently won the National Amateur Championship after a span of 40 years. He praised the management of Dreamworld Golf Course for holding a successful tournament.

The participants also enjoyed the experience of driving to the Dreamworld Resort & Golf Club, located on the outskirts of Karachi in the vicinity of the Northern Bypass.

It’s interesting to note that while the Dreamworld Cue Sports Championships have already completed a decade, golf has just got off to a flying start and there’s every possibility of the event becoming a regular feature in the SGA calendar.

The Dreamworld Cue Sports Championships have been attracting good crowds since inception and it remains one of the showpiece tournaments being held at the resort. With the golf facilities of the highest class on offer it has become quite an attraction for the members as well as the non-members of the club. We can expect to witness quite a few golf tournaments in future at this picturesque venue.

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Record participation expected in Dreamworld Car Rally on Jaunary 17

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Over three hundred entries are expected in the tenth edition of the Dreamworld Treasure Hunt Car Rally 2010 to be held in Karachi on January 17.

The car rally is being organized by the Team Dreamworld for the tenth year running in what has gone on to become one of the most sought after annual events of the metropolis in which over 1800 cars have participated in its decade-long history.

The rally comprises of a 70-kilometer lap crossing almost all popular locations of Karachi, one of the largest cities of the world, and the lap is distributed among eight check points to let vehicles follow the concept of safety through limited speed.

The time check points are established at different locations in the city with each check point providing the contestants with a clue or a puzzle which should be solved in order to discover the next checkpoint for ultimately reaching the fortune at the Dreamworld resort. Each check point registers the time for each car in for which the points are awarded to the contestants for efficient time management.

The final destination of this treasure hunt would be the Dreamworld Resort where, after a ceremony of fun and entertainment, the final winner would be announced on the basis of the time management points awarded with dozens of prizes.

Handsome cash rewards to the tune of Rs 150,000 await the outstanding performers while there would be consolation prizes for every participant of the car rally.

The best driver award carries a purse of Rs 50,000 while the runner-up would be becoming richer by Rs.25, 000. The best lady driver will be presented Rs 15,000 while there would be a cash award of Rs 15,000 for the youngest driver.

The oldest model as well as the latest model cars will be given Rs 15,000 each with another Rs 15,000 purse reserved for the best decorated car.

Every participant would be getting a share in the numerous discount vouchers on offer while complimentary meals, soft drinks and energy drinks will also be arranged for the participants besides gift hampers containing various items for every car.

It may be recalled that a record number of 254 families had participated in the Dreamworld Treasure Hunt Car Rally 2009 that was hailed as one of the most memorable sporting extravaganza in town. The event was aired on ATV in 2 episodes of 40 minutes each.

Dreamworld Resort has emerged as one of the leading sports clubs of the country besides offering numerous other facilities to its members. It’s located adjacent to Gulshan-e-Maymar, off Super Highway. It is indeed accessible from all parts of the city and the driving time has reduced substantially with the construction of so many flyovers and underpasses of late.

It’s very heartening indeed to find so many sporting events being held at the Dreamworld Resort from time to time. From car rally to cricket and from cue sports to mind sports they remain on the lookout for bringing in more life at the resort. Their golf course is also a centre of attraction.

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Dreamworld Cue Sports complete 10 years

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Driving to the Dreamworld Resort & Golf Club, located on the outskirts of Karachi in the vicinity of the Northern Bypass, has always been a pleasure. Even though the roads throughout the metropolis have been ruined by the one devastating spell of rain on July 18, there’s always a temptation to visit the Resort.

The finals of the 10th Dreamworld Cue Sports Championship 2009 were held on July 26 and as expected there was a sizeable crowd at the venue. Probably there was a bigger crowd at the Dreamworld Billiards Parlour than the one at the Karachi Gymkhana where the final of the Al-Haram Snooker Cup National Ranking Tournament was being played the same day.

The Dreamworld Cue Sports Championships, launched a decade ago, have been attracting good crowds since inception and it remains one of the showpiece events in their calendar. There has been greater coverage in the media for the last two years now since they have framed the policy of inviting them for the finals.

Shahid Nazir Minhas lived upto the billing in the 10th Dreamworld Cue Sports Championship by retaining the pool as well as snooker titles. 

The curtain on the 10-day event fell here at the club’s billiards parlour on July 18 with the snooker final and the prize distribution ceremony in which Mohammad Yousuf, a former world champion, was the chief guest.

The tall and well-built Shahid Nazir, having appeared in the national ranking tournaments for quite a few years in the recent past, continued to dominate the snooker as well as the pool events of the Championship being organized by the Dreamworld Resort.

Shahid, however, was given a run for his money in the snooker final of Mohammad Umar. The best of seven encounter lasted four and a half hours with Shahid having had to bring all his expertise into play to clinch the contest 4-3 with the frame scores of 71-44, 32-72, 53-41, 47-70, 76-41, 40-50, 51-40.

He was not all that stretched in the nine-ball pool final, played on a fast pace, in which he raced to 5-3 victory over Rashid Habib.

Saba Zubair Abbasi emerged triumphant in nine-ball pool for ladies as she overpowered Maliha Athar 3-1 in the final.

Syed Saud Hassan ran away with the top honours in the nine-ball pool for seniors, over the age of 45 years. He outclassed Abdul Sattar Shah 5-2 in what turned out to be a one-sided final.

The marathon snooker final delayed the presentation ceremony but the participants of the championship showed great enthusiasm that was acknowledged by Tournament Director, Abdul Qadir Siddiqui, in the welcome address.

The legendary Mohammad Yousuf, the only World and Asian champion to be produced by the country, was highly appreciative of the efforts being made at the resort for the promotion of cue sports. Cash awards of Rs 5,000 each were presented, alongwith trophies, gifts and certificates, to the winners of all the four events.

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