LAHORE            -        A cricket match was played between the US Consul General (CG XI) and Vice-Chancellor (VC XI) to promote gender equality and empower women to lead through sports. The team of CG XI, led by US Consul General Lahore William K. Makaneole, included staff of the US Consulate and girls cricketers, while Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Asghar Zaidi led his team, which comprised female faculty members and members of the GCU Women’s cricket team. There were an equal number of male and female participants in each team. The match, organized by Galaxy Sports Academy and Pakistan Cricket Board Women Wing, was won by VC XI by 8 wickets after they chased the score in the last over. Earlier, VC XI won the toss and invited CG XI to bat in a match played with the aim of inclusive participation of both genders in sports. CG XI scored 43 runs in four overs. Consul General Makaneole scored 20 runs with four boundaries, including one six. VC XI managed to chase the score in the last over and won the match by 8 wickets. Prof Zaidi scored 10 runs for his team. Notable attendees included Azhar Zaidi, former manager of Pakistan cricket team, Shahbaz Senior, former Secretary of Pakistan Hockey Federation, Rabia Qadir, founder of Galaxy Sports Academy and Muhammad Babur, President of Galaxy Sports Academy. US Consul General Makaneole spoke about the importance of women’s participation and leadership in sports. He emphasized that the US mission in Pakistan champions women’s participation and leadership in all fields. “It is our belief that full and fair participation of women strengthens Pakistan and Pakistan’s economy,” he said. Mr. Makaneole also said that they would continue to empower the women of Pakistan to achieve more and fully contribute to the country. In a statement after the match, Vice Chancellor Prof. Zaidi said that the match was a great opportunity to come together and support women in sports, encouraging more participation and further promoting gender equality in the athletic arena. Galaxy Sports Academy (GSA) has been working towards empowering women through sports for the past 12 years. During this period, many institutions cooperated with the GSA, in which the role of the US Consulate Lahore has been prominent. With the support of the Consulate, many events including basketball training, self-defense workshop for women, and Olympic Day were organized in which a large number of women participated.