20 WAPDA PLAYERS TO REPRESENT PAKISTAN IN COMMONWEALTH GAMES

20 WAPDA PLAYERS TO REPRESENT PAKISTAN IN COMMONWEALTH GAMES

March 26, 2018: As many as 20 WAPDA players will represent Pakistan in the 21st Commonwealth Games scheduled to be held from April 4 to 14 in Gold Coast, Australia. This is the largest number - more than one third of the players of Pakistani contingent - which belongs to any organization or province to hold the honor of representing the country in the upcoming Commonwealth Games, followed by nine players each from Army and National Bank, three players each from Navy, SNGPL, SSGC and PIA, two players from Punjab and one player each from Sindh, HEC, Air Force and Fauji Fertilizer Limited. WAPDA players, who are part of 56 players contingent of Pakistan, include two athletes, two badminton players, one boxer, three hockets, one swimmer, one table tennis player, five weightlifters and five wrestlers.

WAPDA has been patronizing sports in Pakistan for more than five decades. Its players have not only been showing their class at the national level but also bringing laurels to Pakistan in international competitions. In January 2017 to March 2018 alone, WAPDA players won 10 gold, 11 silver and 38 bronze medals for Pakistan in various international events. At present, WAPDA is national champion in 33 sports and runners-up in 18 disciplines. WAPDA is the biggest employer of sportspersons in Pakistan, as more than 2200 players and sport officials are associated with various units of WAPDA Sports Board across the country. WAPDA has 65 teams – 37 men and 28 women – of different games. It has also introduced four initiatives in sports for improvement in standard of sports and betterment of players. These initiatives include ‘WAPDA Endowment Fund for Sports’ to elevate the standard of sports in Pakistan; ‘WAPDA Athletics Colts’ to promote athletics in the country; ‘Focus on Fitness and Fielding’ and ‘T-12 Cricket’ to improve fielding in Pakistan’s cricket.