29 world records have been set so far this year.
LAHORE:
Pakistani youth on Saturday set the world record for waving the national flag at the National Hockey Stadium.
As many as 56,263 participants broke the record set by a gathering in Argentina that had set the record with the participation of 49,850 people.
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was the chief guest. Diplomats from 14 countries, members of the national and provincial assemblies, Minister for Sports Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, Sports Secretary Muhammad Khan Khichi and Sports Board Punjab Director General Usman Anwar were also present.
So far, participants of the Punjab Youth Festival have set 29 world records.
The event opened with the recitation of the Holy Quran followed by the national anthem.
The torch for the games was passed among prominent athletes. Olympian Khawaja Junaid Ahmad lit the torch.
The youth displayed their skills in karate, gymnastic, aerobics and a musical concert. During the world record attempt, participants waved the national flag for five minutes against a backdrop of fireworks.
Addressing the crowd, Mashhood said, “I congratulate all of you for making the event a success. Our youth have shown unity and discipline to break the record.”
“The time has come for us to set aside our differences and tackle the challenges before us with unity,” he said.
He lauded efforts of the organisers for arranging the event.
Anwar said, “Credit goes to the youth for maintaining discipline. The participants defied heavy rain on their way to the venue.”
Rana Mashhood presented a Guinness World Record (GWR) certificate to the chief minister.
Indian delegation arrives
Bophinder Singh led the 81-member Indian contingent which arrived on Saturday for the Pakistan-India Punjab Games under the Punjab Youth Festival.
MPA Madiha Rana along with officials of Sports Board Punjab (SBP) had received the guests at Wahga Border.
The Indian contingent includes 66 athletes and 15 officials. Speaking at the occasion, Bophinder Singh thanked the Pakistani government for the welcome.
He said athletes from his country were prepared for the contests and were excited about taking on Pakistani players. “We will try our best to win maximum events of the Punjab games. If we do not succeed in the games, we may succeed in winning hearts of Pakistani people.”
The two-day Punjab games will start on Monday. The Punjab Stadium will host mud-wrestling, tug-of-war and kabaddi (men and women) contests. Bodybuilding, arm-wrestling (men and women) and weightlifting events will be held at Alhamra Cultural Complex.
Mat-wrestling competitions will be held at Gymnasium Hall NPSC.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 2nd, 2014.