Sports stars delighted to carry Beijing Olympics Torch
Staff Report

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan’s celebrated former sportsmen Hassan Sardar and Jahangir Khan feel pride and honour as they prepare to carry the Beijing Olympics Torch Relay in Islamabad on Wednesday. “We feel delight, even ecstacy,”, said the 1984 Los Angeles hockey gold-medallist and prolific goal-getter Hassan Sardar who has been selected as runner when the Beijing Olympics Torch Relay parades through Islamabad.
Hassan, the superstar of Pakistan hockey in the 80s, said his feelings for the upcoming Torch Relay were the same as were his sentiments of unbounded delighted when he steered Pakistan to gold medal victory at the Olympics in 1984.
“The fact that China is perhaps Pakistan’s most trusted friend gives an extra quality of happiness and pride to my feelings”, Hassan said. “China has again demonstrated its friendship by selecting Islamabad as one of only 22 cities in the world for the Torch Relay”.
This will be the first time ever that Olympics Torch Relay will ever come to Pakistan and that is perhaps due to all-weather ties between the two countries, Hasan said.
He urged the Nation to capitalise on the occasion of Torch Relay to revive the sagging fortunes of Pakistani teams in international arena by promoting sports at grass-roots level. Hassan also appreciated Coca Cola—the worldwide sponsors of Beijing Olympics Torch Relay.
Record 10-times British Open champion and former World Champion squash player Jahangir Khan also termed the Torch Relay as one of the important events in his life after retiring from the game.
“Though squash is not an Olympic sport, I feel extreme pride at carrying the Torch in Islamabad, keeping in view Pakistan’s examplary friendship with China”, he said. He lauded the hardwork of President of Pakistan Olympic Association, Lt.
Gen. ® Syed Arif Hassan, for the success of the Beijing Olympics Torch Relay. Jahangir hoped squash would be included as one of the sports for the 2016 Olympics. “Squash fulfills the criteria for inclusion in Olympics. A meeting in Denmark next year will decide the venue and sports for the 2016 Olympics”.