Chinese automobile brand Chery and its local partner Ghandhara Nissan Ltd and Ghulkin Winter Club are actively engaged in promoting winter sports in Pakistan, Gwadar Pro reported on Friday. Chery's support for sports in Pakistan extends far beyond ice hockey. Syed Fakhar Ali Shah, President of Pakistan Baseball Association, appreciated Chery Pakistan and Ghandhara Nissan for sponsoring the 15th West Asia Base Cup and their future plan to promote sports in Pakistan, stating that developing sports in the country will ultimately benefit Pakistan.

Rabia Kuli Khan Khattak, COO of Ghandhara Nissan Ltd, was delighted to see the Chinese element active in the stadium where the Pakistani people were passionate and sweating. She said that "Chery and Ghandhara have carried out sports marketing in Pakistan and achieved remarkable results. The campaigns transmit our brand concepts of green and scientific technology and advocate for the general public to develop green, healthy and active life habits. 

In the future, we will continue to support sports activities in Pakistan and strive to realize more children's sports dreams." The fourth season of Pakistan Winter Sports Festival was organized earlier this year Chery and its local partner where 18 men's and 5 women's teams played ice hockey with enthusiasm. It has become the most influential winter sports event in the country, with skating, ice hockey and other games becoming the favorites of many participants and spectators.

Before the private-label backing, kids had to use their own earnings to buy ice hockey equipment. "Chery's sponsorship of these young people's dreams provides a broader platform for us and the whole country.  Chery's role as a major sponsor of the event has boosted children's enthusiasm and confidence in participating in sports," Qadir Karim said, adding that "Chery's Tiggo 4 and Tiggo 8 that have hit the Pakistani market are both sporty vehicles that can be a symbol of Pak-China friendship in sports."

On the white, flat, wide surface of winter ice in northern Pakistan, hockey boys and girls, clad in bright, cool clothes, helmets and armor and carrying sticks, move quickly into position, chase fiercely and cheer after scoring, showing a warm sporting scene. However, there was no ice sport here before 2018 due to lack of awareness, sports facilities, equipment and protective gear, and the difficulty of building an ice rink by hand in -22 Celsius degree weather was unimaginable.

Qadir Karim and his father, who come from a village in Hunza, are pioneers in promoting winter sports in the region. They floated the idea of converting their ancestral land into an ice rink. Through the concerted efforts of like-minded people, they have overcome hardships, chills and risks, from 18 boys and 6 girls in the first year of the initiative to more than 500 boys and girls skating in winter today.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP