LAHORE - United States Consulate defeated Galaxy Sports Academy (GSA) by 22-16 in an exhibition basketball match played here at Mian Meer Sports Complex with great zeal and fervour.
Besides US Consulate players, who played extremely well, the GSA girls also demonstrated basketball drills with great control on the ball that was appreciated by experts of the game, while international players Maudood Jaffery and Amna Mujtaba also showed excellent skills during the match.
The GSA has started the ‘Empower Women Programme’ for underprivileged girls in collaboration with US Consulate Lahore. US Consul General Lahore Her Excellency Elizabeth Kennedy Trudeau graced the opening ceremony as chief guest and inaugurated the 10-day programme, while US Consulate Public Affairs Officer Michael Guinan, Cultural Specialist Tanveer Hassan, Sultan Qureshi, Filza Zaman, Pakistan Basketball Federation joint secretary Syed Maudood Jaffery, Punjab University Professor Tahir Nazir, GCU’s Mateen Malik and other sports lovers were also present.
The Galaxy Sports Academy was founded by international field hockey player Rabia Qadir in 2011, since that the academy had organised table tennis, hockey and futsal training camps and events.
In his welcome note, GSA president M Babur thanked the US Consulate for providing great support to the young and deprived girls of the society from the unprivileged areas of the city. “I hope the US Consulate will continue to support these healthy activities in future too.” Rabia Qadir was also grateful to US Consulate for providing the underprivileged girls the opportunity to play sports and earn good name at national and international level.
In her address to the participants, Her Excellency Elizabeth Kennedy Trudeau said: “It is a great honor for US government to have supported Galaxy Sports Academy – an initiative providing sports opportunities to young Pakistani girls, who dream to make a name in sports as well as in their lives. It was a wonderful fun and an honor playing basketball with young Pakistani girls.”
