Pak delegation reaches Turin for Winter Special Games
The 16th World Winter Special Games 2025 will officially commence today at the Inalpi Arena in Turin, Italy. Delegations from various countries, including Pakistan, have arrived in Turin to participate in the grand opening ceremony. The Pakistani athletes and officials will proudly wear their traditional cultural attire during the event.
Earlier, the Special Olympics Italy officials warmly welcomed the Pakistani contingent upon their arrival at Milan Airport. The World Games will take place from March 8 to March 15 in Turin, Italy, featuring over 1,500 athletes from more than 93 countries, along with 2,000 volunteers.
Pakistan is represented by a 25-member delegation, including 10 athletes (5 men and 5 women), along with coaches, officials, medical staff, and youth leaders. The Pakistani athletes will compete in Snowshoeing and Cross-Country Skiing. Additionally, six female members of the delegation will represent Pakistan at the Global Youth Leadership Summit (GYLS).
Upon arrival in Italy, Pakistani athlete Muhammad Afaq Khan expressed his excitement, saying, 'Representing Pakistan at the international level is a great honor for us.' Meanwhile, athlete Muhammad Moazzam Iqbal stated, 'We have come with the spirit of victory for Pakistan.' Special athlete Tabassum Ahmed shared his enthusiasm, saying that he is 'fully motivated and determined to deliver a great result for the nation.'
Pakistani coaches Erum Majeed and Muhammad Irfan emphasized that participating in such a mega event will enhance the skills and experience of the athletes. They praised the Pakistani players for their talent, dedication, and eagerness to learn, highlighting the rigorous training they underwent for the Winter Games.
According to the Head of Delegation, Farukhanda Jabeen, the Pakistani athletes have prepared extensively for the World Winter Games.
Chairperson of Special Olympics Pakistan, Ronak Lakhani, expressed her confidence, stating that Pakistan's special athletes will give their best performance and strive to reach the victory stand.
She further emphasized that Special Olympics Pakistan is committed to promoting an inclusive society where individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities have equal opportunities to excel in both sports and life.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
2 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Youth over experience
The Pakistan Cricket Board's decision to exclude stalwarts Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from the national Asia Cup squad comes as a surprise, but not a total shock. While framed as a necessary evolution toward "fearless cricket", the move still risks undermining team stability for uncertain gains. The selectors' rationale hinges on undeniable statistical realities — Babar's career T20I strike rate of 129.22 and Rizwan's 125.37 lag significantly behind modern powerhouses like England's openers, who regularly exceed 140 in the shortest form of the game. In fact, since 2022, their powerplay strike rates plummeted further to 116 and 117.4 — criminally low in an era where 130 is unexceptional. This conservatism contributed to Pakistan's catastrophic 2024 T20 World Cup group-stage exit, including a historic loss to the USA. This is also why both players have remained sidelined from the T20 squad for several months. However, discarding proven match-winners demands deeper examination. Babar and Rizwan have amassed 2,522 runs as a partnership — the highest for any Pakistani opening pair — with eight century stands. Their defenders have noted that the pair reliability provided solid starts that the middle order rarely capitalised on. Conversely, their replacements — Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz — have higher strike rates, but significantly lower averages, which loosely translates into more shaky starts. Should the top order collapse under pressure — especially during the match against India — the absence of Babar-Rizwan's resilience will haunt the team's legacy. The uninspiring run of results since head coach Mike Hesson took over in May has done little to inspire confidence in the team. However, Hesson has a track record of success elsewhere, so he may know something we don't. At the end of the day, the decision is defensible, but just barely. Success will make Aqib Javed and the rest of the selectors look like geniuses. Failure, not so much.
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
Judo Malika reaches Amman Asian Open final 2025
Pakistani judoka Malika Noor qualified for the final of her -52 kg event at the Amman Asian Open women's event. She defeated a Jordanian opponent in her seminal. She took sealed the win in less than three minutes. Previously, Malika represented Pakistan at the Dushanbe World Championships Juniors Individuals 2024. 'This is Malika's second international event and so far she has shown improvement,' the Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) secretary Masood Ahmed told The Express Tribune. 'She competed in the juniors' world championship last year and she lost in the early rounds, but she was appreciated by the International Judo Federation. This year she is competing in seniors' event. 'She belongs to Lakki Marwat, and train regularly at the Qayyum Stadium in Peshawar with us, and she represents Wapda in the domestic events.' The PJF are fielding five judokas in the Amman Asian Open, Junior and Cadet Open Cup 2025. The team left for Amman on Saturday, August 16 from Islamabad via Karachi to participate in the competition in Jordan. "We are very excited for our juniors and cadet athletes to compete in this event," said Masood. "In juniors, we have Muhammad Abbas, he will compete in the open competition and in the junior competition. Abbas has previously represented Pakistan in South Korea last year in Asian junior cadet. "The rest of the three players are making their international debut. Like Noor Khan from Balochistan is very talented and we are hoping that he will impress. "Then we have Faisal Shah and Ahmed and Adnan, they belong to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, they will compete in senior, junior and cadet." Masood further added that the Amman Asian Open is an important international event will provide Pakistani judokas with the opportunity to showcase their talent and compete against some of the best athletes from across Asia. The participation reflects Pakistan Judo Federation's continued efforts to promote the sport at international level and provide exposure to young athletes. "We are focusing on grooming the junior players for the international events, we want to have a good pool of athletes who can win laurels for the country in the bigger events and for that we must provide the opportunities to them to hone their talent and test their skills. We are expecting good results from them. "We are also requesting the Pakistan Sports Board to help us with the camps for these bright athletes for the future events."
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
BD may replace Pak in Asia Cup Hockey
Bangladesh are likely to replace Pakistan in the upcoming men's Asia Cup hockey tournament, scheduled to be held in Rajgir, Bihar, from August 29, if the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) does not confirm participation within the next 48 hours, Indian media reported on Monday. A top Hockey India official confirmed on Monday that the organisers have approached Bangladesh as a standby option. 'The Indian government has already said it is willing to provide visas to Pakistani players, but if they don't want to come to India, it's not our problem. Bangladesh has already been invited to participate in case Pakistan doesn't come, but we will have to wait for two more days to get the confirmation,' the official said. The PHF has raised security concerns and expressed reluctance to send its team to India, despite the Union government's assurance of facilitating visas. The uncertainty over Pakistan's participation stems from heightened political and military tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people. In response, India launched 'Operation Sindoor' targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan. The PHF had even suggested shifting the tournament to a neutral venue, but the proposal was not accepted. The Asia Cup is a key event on the hockey calendar, serving as a qualifying tournament for the 2026 Men's Hockey World Cup. Besides hosts India, the confirmed teams are China, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Oman, and Chinese Taipei. 'Neither Pakistan nor Bangladesh have confirmed anything to us till now. But Bangladesh are the most likely replacement for Pakistan if they withdraw,' the Hockey India official added. If confirmed, Bangladesh's inclusion would ensure the eight-team format remains intact, while Pakistan's absence would mark a significant setback, given its historical stature in Asian hockey.
