ISLAMABAD: National Bank of Pakistan has won the first ever Mari Petroleum Azadi Cup Hockey Tournament as the curtain fell on the biggest national hockey event since the pandemic on Sunday. In an exciting final match National Bank won the match by 03 penalty shoots against 02 by WAPDA as both teams managed to score two goals each on completion of two halves.
The 1st Mari Petroleum Azadi Hockey Cup, organized by Mari Petroleum in partnership with the Pakistan Hockey Federation, commenced on 8th August 2021 at the Mari Hockey Stadium, Ayub Park in Rawalpindi. This enthralling and fascinating competition featured 8 top-ranked national teams of Pakistan: WAPDA, National Bank of Pakistan, Sui Southern Gas Company, Pakistan Navy, Mari Petroleum Company Limited, Pakistan Air Force, Punjab and Pakistan Army, who competed for the prestigious trophy and the most lucrative prizes in domestic hockey history, sponsored by Mari Petroleum.
The Pakistan Hockey Federation had appointed Olympian Ayaz Mahmood as the tournament director with Rashid Butt as umpire manager and Asif Naz Khokhar as the tournament coordinator.
Dr Fehmida Mirza, Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination graced the final match as the Chief Guest. In her speech, the minister lauded MPCL’s Management for their efforts to revive the game of field hockey in the Country while creating a sense of ownership and pride amongst the citizens during the tournament.
Faheem Haider, Managing Director/CEO of Mari Petroleum in his address said that as part of its CSR initiatives, Mari Petroleum formed its own hockey team in 2018, with the intention of reinvigorating interest in national sport. Within a short span of two years, MPCL Hockey Team managed to win the 1st Chief Minister Punjab Gold Hockey Cup in 2020, beating the top-ranked local teams. Presently MPCL hockey team is ranked Number 5 in the National Rankings. Before this tournament, MPCL successfully hosted 66th National Senior Hockey Championship on this ground in November 2020.—PR
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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