KARACHI: Sindh Tennis Association (STA) in collaboration with Sports for Life organized an Independence Day Tennis competition plus tree plantation at Union Club on Saturday.

The mens singles event was won by Basim Ali who defeated Usama Saeed 10-4 (super tie-break) while in Under-12 singles Ibrahim Saad beat Almir Jan 10-6.

Sindh Olympic Association’s Ahmed Ali Rajput and Tehmina Asif were chief guests for the tennis event and plantation respectively. The plantation drive was graced by a large number of sports and social personalities of city.

Khalid Rehmani, Vice President Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF), suggested that since Pakistan Olympic Association has formed an environment commission recently, each and every member of sports fraternity must plant a tree on the opening or closing day of all of local or national events.

Rehmani added that two National and two Sindh Ranking Tennis Championships are already matured and would be held in September October ,and KCSA Beach Games and Wheelchair Tennis Coaching Camps are also in pipeline. He thanked Shazad Qazi and Union Club for their valued support during the events.

Tehmina Asif speaks

Tehmina Asif, who is also a member of the Pakistan Olympic Association Environment Commission, said on the occasion that increasing environmental pollution was slowly tightening its grip on our environment. “If we do not pay attention to the growth of trees and plants today, we will not be safe from adverse effects of pollution in the future.”

She appealed to the social organizations and sports federations and associations especially athletes and students to play a greater role in the national duty of tree plantation.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2020