Sports Reporter
Peshawar: The Media Sports Festival 2025, organized by the Khyber Union of Journalists and the Sports Writers Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in collaboration with the District Sports Office Peshawar, has concluded. On the final day, Yasir Ali and Shehzad Rasheed won the badminton event, securing the championship trophy. In a thrilling final match, Yasir Ali and Shehzad Rasheed defeated the duo of Irfan Musa Zai and Ali Sheikh by 2-1 to claim the title. In futsal, SWA White emerged victorious and claimed the trophy. Former world squash champion Qamar Zaman was the chief guest at the closing ceremony and distributed prizes among the players. Olympian Abdul Rauf, President of the Khyber Union of Journalists Kashifuddin Syed, KHJU Secretary Irshad Ali, President of the Sports Writers Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Chairman of the KHJU Sports Committee Asim Shiraz, along with other officials and journalists, were also present. Speaking at the ceremony, former world champion Qamar Zaman said that it was a pleasure to see journalists participating in sports, as games are essential for strong nerves and a healthy body. Addressing the journalists, he said that winning and losing are part of the game and those who lost should not take it to heart but rather start exercising and participating in such activities to improve their health and perform better in future competitions. He emphasized that sports journalists play a vital role in promoting sports, and whenever he is invited to a journalists’ event, he always tries to participate. Earlier, KHJU President Kashifuddin Syed thanked the chief guest and all organizers, saying that the purpose of organizing the festival was to provide recreational opportunities for journalists, as the journalist community faces many challenges and it is often difficult to find time for sports due to professional responsibilities. He added that efforts would be made to organize similar events in the future as well.
