LAHORE - The final leg of the youth activity, the Punjab International Sports Festival 2012 will start with formal inauguration ceremony to be held today (Wednesday).
The teams have started arriving the city and the rugby team of Cambodia was the first international team to reach the city to be part of the festival while a an Indian business community team under the leadership of Indian Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Badal Singh have reached Lahore and would be among the guests during the festival while their sports contingent will reach today. The football squads of Sri Lanka and Yemen are due today. The Serbian and Mangolian teams will also reach today.
Punjab International Sports Festival will also have Indo-Pak Games and Deaf and Dump Dosti Cup while 1,381 athletes from 24 countries will appear in baseball, football, fistball, touchball (male and female), ju-jistu, rugby and kabaddi events.
The International Festival will formally start on November 8 after Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif will declare the events open on November 7’s inauguration ceremony.
On his arrival in the city, Indian Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukbir Singh Badal said: “I have come to Pakistan with a message of peace and love. My visit is not a political but is of developing love and harmony and promote sports among the two neighbouring countries.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan face Afghanistan in the opening match of the baseball event of the Punjab International Sports Festival here on November 8.
The five-day event is being participated by Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan.