First FATA interschool games commences at Khyber Agency

Sikander Qayyum, Additional Chief Secretary FATA was the chief guest of the opening ceremony. He formally inaugurated the first ever Boys and Girls Inter-school games. Besides Additional Chief Secretary FATA, Secretary Education Hashim Khan Afridi, Political Agency Khyber Captain (Retd) Khalid Mehmood, Organizing Secretary and Director Sports and Youth Affairs Muhammad Nawaz Khan, Even Conductor Ayub Khan, Tribal Elders, Agency Sports Manages hailing from all seven agencies and six FRs, officials bearers of various associations affiliated with FATA Olympic Association, players and hundreds and thousands of spectators were also present.

About 7000 players from various schools of 7 agencies will take part in the games. Students from Mohmand Agency, Bajaur Agency, Kurram Agency, Orakzai Agency, North Waziristan Agency, South Waziristan Agency and Khyber Agency and six Federal Regions comprising FR Peshawar, FR Kohat, FR Bannu, FR Tank, FR Dera Ismail Khan, FR Lakki are participating in the games. The Inter-School Games is the first ever after the 15-year long insurgency and militancy. The Games have been organized in three different phases – Tehsil, Agency and Inter-Agency levels with all the schools working under the aegis of Secretary Education FATA.

The school children of Jamrud High School and Governor Model Schools demonstrated a stunning gymnastic show, followed by a smart March Past wherein 1500 male and female athletes are taking part in eight different Games including Cricket, Football, Basketball, Table Tennis, Volleyball and Athletics.

In his introductory speech, Director Sports and Youth Affairs FATA Muhammad Nawaz Khan said that they are providing full uniform, shoes and sports equipment to all the participating players. He said for the female they are organizing all indoor Games looking after the tradition of the FATA. He also welcome all the athletes part of the first ever Inter-School Games.
In his speech, Additional Chief Secretary FATA Sikander Qayyum lauded the efforts of the organizing committee for involving the youth of all across FATA in the Inter-School Games. He said the Games would help the youth to show their hidden talents in the Games and later on come up at national and international levels. He said normalcy has been restored to FATA and that so to the rest of the country after a matchless sacrifices being rendered by the jawans of security forces and civilians including people of FATA who lost their precious lives.

Earlier, after the announcement of the commencement of the School Games, balloons, pigeons and banners inscribes with different sports slogans were released in a colorful opening ceremony.