Karachi set to host 13th Sindh Games 2010 in June

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The city of Karachi will be hosting the Sindh Games for the third time in 24 years as the 13th edition of the premier provincial event will be staged here during in the first week of June.

The Government of Sindh, with the collaboration of the Sindh Olympic Association (SOA), has announced to organize the 13th Sindh Games 2010 in Karachi from June 1 to 5. Karachi had earlier hosted the Sindh Games in 1989 and 1999.

Dr Muhammad Ali Shah, Sindh Sports Minister, and Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, Secretary Sports and Youth Affairs to the Government of Sindh, have pledged to hold the event at different venues of Karachi in a befitting manner.

As in the past, he said, all the five regions of the province, Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur and Larkana would be taking part in the 13th Sindh Games.

“This is a special year during which the Commonwealth Games as well as Asian Games are scheduled to be held. The Sindh Games will have added significance in order to provide an opportunity to our athletes to prepare for these international events,” Shoaib Siddiqui, who is also the Secretary of the Sindh Sports Board (SSB), remarked in a recent interview.

“Athletics, basketball, boxing, badminton, bodybuilding, cycling, football, gymnastics, handball, hockey, judo, karate, netball, swimming, softball, squash, table tennis, taeknowndo, tennis, weightlifting, wrestling and wushu would be part of the 13th Sindh Games,” he revealed.

“The tournaments in the indigenous games like kodi kodi, malkhara, wanjh watti, shootingball will also be held while the proposal of having the Twenty20 cricket making an entry in the Sindh Games was under consideration,” he added.

The Sindh Games, it may be recalled, was launched by the SOA in 1986 with the inaugural event staged at Larkana. The 2nd Sindh Games was held at Mirpurkhas in 1987 followed by one in Karachi in 1989.

The infighting and the subsequent litigation kept the provincial Olympic body dormant for a number of years, prompting the SSB to revive the Sindh Games in 1991 at Hyderabad. The fifth, sixth and seventh editions were also organized by the SSB at Sukkur (1993), Larkana (1995) and Mirpurkhas (1996).

The SOA dispute was resolved in 1996 but they have had to seek the financial assistance from the provincial government for holding the Sindh Games all along. Its eighth and ninth editions were staged at Karachi (1999) and Hyderabad (2000) before yet another long break.

The Sindh Games was revived in 2006 with Hyderabad hosting it for the second successive time. The 11th edition was held at Sukkur in 2008 with Larkana having played host to the 12th Sindh Games last May.

Dr Mohammad Ali Shah and Shoaib Siddiqui are credited to have organized the last Sindh Games against the heaviest of odds in Larkana. The weather was not particularly friendly to a sporting event during the month of May but the Sindh Sports Minister as well as the Sindh Sports Secretary remained convinced that the athletes would benefit a great deal by competing in rough and tough conditions.

Their fierce determination silenced the critics and the Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, had publicly recognized the grit of the provincial sports functionaries for having blessed Larkana with a magnificent event

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12th Sindh Games revive sporting culture in Larkana

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The 12th edition of the Sindh Games concluded with a colourful ceremony at the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Sports Complex in Larkana on May 31 with the Chief Minister, Syed Qaim Ali Shah declaring the Games closed.

He paid rich tributes to the Provincial Sports Minister, Dr Syed Mohammad Ali Shah, to have dared holding the Games in the month of May, that’s generally considered hot from the sports point of view.

“We have known that the outdoor sports events in our country are staged in the season of winter or spring. But Dr Shah deserves credit to have given us the concept that the Games could also be held successfully in summer. The success of the 12th Sindh Games proved the point that every season is suited to sports if the events are managed professionally,” he observed.

The Chief Minister, while congratulating Karachi Region for clinching the trophy once more, urged the athletes of the other four regions to continue working hard for improving their performance in the future events.

He presented the winners trophy to Dr Frahan Essa Abdullah, chef de mission of the Karachi Region who was then carried on shoulders by the elated members of the victorious contingent.
Syed Qaim Ali Shah announced that the next edition of the Sindh Games will be staged in Karachi. He announced a grant of Rupees five million for the sports department for holding the 12th Sindh Games in a splendid manner.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Shah observed that his mission was to spread the flame of sports in every nook and corner of the province and he needed the support of the provincial government in fulfilling his ambition.

“I was advised by certain quarters to postpone the 12th Sindh Games or move it to any other venue in view of the weather conditions here. But it was my commitment to the people of Larkana to hold the Games here and we were able to organize it successfully despite all odds being stacked against us,” he said.

Dr Shah believed that the interior regions of the province deserved greater attention as they lacked the infrastructure facilities that didn’t allow their athletes to progress beyond a certain level.

The Provincial Minister for Local Government, Agha Siraj Durrani, who himself holds a black belt in karate, was highly appreciative of the efforts of Dr Shah and his team for having braved the hot weather and organized the Sindh Games so successfully in Larkana.

Ahmed Ali Rajput, Secretary, Sindh Olympic Association (SOA), in his speech, highlighted the various challenges that had to be met in holding the Games.

The welcome address was delivered by Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, Secretary Sports and Youth Affairs, Government of Sindh, in which he acknowledged the support of the concerned quarters in accomplishing the task of holding the Sindh Games.

“According to the directives of the government we are working tirelessly to develop sports culture in the province. It’s our desire to engage the youth in healthy activities with sports being on top in the list of our priorities,” Shoaib Siddiqui said.

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Games last a few days, memories last a lifetime

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The Sindh Minister for Sports, Dr. Mohammed Ali Shah, declared the 12th Sindh Games open at the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Sports Complex in Larkana on May 28, as originally scheduled.

Speaking on the occasion Dr Shah, the famous orthopedic surgeon, who is also the President of the Sindh Olympic Association (SOA), remarked that sports was a more than useful tool in combating crimes.

“The promotion of sports is actually a fight against crime. We have been working on the strategy of building infrastructure projects all over the province so that our people could have the access to better sporting facilities,” Dr Shah observed.

Earlier in the day the provincial minister had performed the inauguration of astrotruf at the Khuhro Complex, having fulfilled his promise that he had made very long ago.

“This is a gift for the hockey players in Larkana. Now they have the opportunity to fine tune their skills and take their game to another level,” he said.

There was more good news for the sports enthusiasts in Larkana as Dr Shah announced that Rs 400 million would be spent on projects to develop the hockey grounds in the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Sports Complex as well as the Khuhro Sports Complex.

He reckoned that there’s much sporting talent in Sindh in general Larkana in particular and greater efforts were needed to provide them the platform to unfold their skills.

He pointed out that the events like the Sindh Games go a long way in promoting sports from the grassroots level and he was eager to have it on a regular basis.

The 12th Sindh Games, being organized by the Sindh Sports Board (SSB), an organ of the Government of Sindh, with the collaboration of the Sindh Olympic Association (SOA), would certainly test the participating athletes.

The contests are being held in 24 disciplines for men and 10 by women besides the four indigenous games and the exhibition event tug of war.

The men athletes are in action in athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, bodybuilding, boxing, cycling, football, gymnastics, handball, hockey, judo, karate, netball, squash, swimming, table tennis, tae kwendo, tennis, throwball, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling and wushu while the female athletes are engaged in the disciplines of athletics, badminton, basketball, hockey, karate, netball, softball, table tennis, throwball and volleyball.

Meanwhile thanks to the efforts of Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, Secretary, Sports and Youth Affairs, to the Government of Sindh, the athletes and officials of the 12th Sindh Games have been provided the insurance cover.

“Injuries and hospitalization are also covered besides the accidental death. This is probably for the first time in the country when the athletes are being provided with the insurance cover during a sporting event. In fact the athletes as well as the officials will be covered for a period of one month, from May 27 to June 26,” Shoaib Siddiqui revealed.

The Sindh Games has returned to Larkana after 16 years. The first-ever Sindh Games were held in this town in 1986 and then the fifth edition was staged in 1993.

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