During the ceremony, both Asad and Bismal were handed over monthly stipend of Rs 10,000 each and tennis equipment by Sports Secretary Asadullah Faiz. Punjab Lawn Tennis Association (PLTA) Secretary General Rashid Malik (Tamgha-e-Imtiaz), Chief Sports Consultant Hafeez Bhatti and officials were also present on this occasion. It is worth-mentioning that young Asad Zaman, who was a ball picker in his initial stages of the career, has been U-14 national champion and won several other tennis tournaments while Bismal, who also has been considered among top U-12 players at provincial level, is also attending Sports Board Punjab’s first-ever High Performance Tennis Training Camp at Punjab Tennis Academy, Bagh-e-Jinnah.
Speaking on the occasion, Secretary Sports Asadullah Faiz said that Asad Zaman and Bismal Zia have demonstrated excellent performances in the High Performance Tennis Training Camp. “Both of the players are highly talented and doing hard work in the camp under the supervision of qualified coaches. We hope that these young players will become top tennis stars in near future,” he added.
PLTA Secretary Rashid Malik thanked Secretary Sports Asadullah Faiz and Sports Board Punjab for this initiative taken after 30 years. “This monthly scholarship of Rs 10,000 is though a very meager amount yet it will encourage young tennis stars to give their best at national events. He hoped that the Sports Board Punjab will not only raise the amount of the stipend but also the pool of talented and deserving players, who, in return, will win laurels for their province.” Malik has been training very hard to Asad for last couple of years, which has paid off and now he is going to focus on Bismal Zia, who will hopefully emerge as top national tennis player.
Meanwhile, Secretary Sports and Youth Affairs Punjab Asadullah Faiz on Monday inaugurated the badminton summer training camp being organized under the auspices of Sports Board Punjab at Nishtar Park Sports Complex Gymnasium Hall. Director Sports Nadeem Qaiser, Deputy Director Sports Chand Perveen and District Sports Officer Lahore Tanveer Shah were also present on this occasion.
Around top 80 male and female players from different schools and colleges of the province are participating in the training camp. World Badminton Federation’s certified coaches Ms Zarina Waqar and Sajid Hussain are teaching basic techniques to young players in two sessions daily. The Secretary Sports also announced to provide playing kits, rackets and other equipment to top five boys and girls of the camp.