LAHORE: Director General (DG) Sports Board Punjab Muhammad Tariq Qureshi has said that the SBP would provide the best facilities and cooperation for holding the 13th National Men/Women Ju-Jitsu Championship, scheduled to be held here at Nishtar Park Sports Complex Gymnasium Hall from August 23 to 25.
He said this while addressing a press conference at National Hockey Stadium on Monday. Director Sports Nadeem Qaiser, Director Admin Syed Omair Hasan, Chief Sports Consultant SBP Hafeez Bhatti, President Pakistan Ju-Jitsu Federation (PJJF) Khalil Ahmed Khan, Secretary PJJF Waqar Ilyas Khan, Director Referee Kazim Ali Changezi and other officials were also present.
Addressing the press conference, Muhammad Tariq Qureshi said that country’s top teams including Pakistan Army, Navy, Wapda and all provinces will participate in the 3-day championship. “The championship will be considered a sort of trials and performance of all male and female players will be monitored minutely in the event and the top performers of the competition could be given a chance to represent Pakistan in international Ju-Jitsu competitions”.
Elaborating the origin of the game, the DG SBP said that Ju-Jitsu is a kind of martial arts and the games of judo and karate have also started from Ju-Jitsu. “The center of Ju-Jitsu is Japan, after which the sport started in Brazil,” he added.
He said that the Sports Board Punjab was focusing on individual sports to win medals in international events. “We are going to prepare a nursery of young players from U-10 to U-16 players of different games from across the province. Several of these young players will become star players and win medals for the country in future”.
Muhammad Tariq Qureshi said: “We are working on a plan to build an arena in Nishtar Park Sports Complex for Power Sports. Power sports will include wrestling, boxing, weightlifting, powerlifting, judo, karate and other sports”.
President Pakistan Ju-Jitsu Federation (PJJF) Khalil Ahmed Khan said that Ju-Jitsu players had always earned laurels for Pakistan at the international level. “Ju-Jitsu players won several gold medals for Pakistan in the past and will continue this streak in future as well”.
Khalil Ahmed Khan thanked DG SBP for extending every kind of support for holding of National Ju-Jitsu Championship.
