The Annual LUMS Sports Fest (LSF) this year, attracted over 160 schools and institutions, with more than 1200 delegates from around the country. Held from January 4-7, 2019 at LUMS, this event was organised by the LUMS Office of Sports, Wellness and Recreation, together with the student society, Sports at LUMS (SLUMS).
One of the biggest university level sporting events in Pakistan, the participating teams at LSF battled it out at various sporting competitions such as Futsal, Cricket, Tennis, Squash, Volleyball, Badminton, Basketball, Throw Ball, Table Tennis and Swimming.
Under its Social Responsibility Programme, for the second consecutive year, the LSF host team arranged a series of blind cricket matches. The teams in attendance included the Abbottabad Cricket Club of the Blind, along with teams from Lahore, Okara and Faisalabad. However, it was the team from Lahore that was triumphant and raised the winning trophy. A closing ceremony was held towards the end to honour all the players and was attended by prominent members of the Pakistan Blind Cricket Council.
The LSF also included social events, a concert, an EDM night and a Food Street. Popular upcoming Pakistani singers, Asim Azhar and Arsalan Hasan performed on the third day of the LSF. Addtionally, a delegate lounge was set up for the delegates for the entirety of the festival, where they could take some time out to relax and enjoy with the other participants.
The event ended with an awards ceremony and dinner for all the participants. Chief guests for the closing ceremony were the eminent Pakistan Super League team, Lahore Qalandars and first class cricketer, Farhan Ayub. The awards celebrated the hard-earned victories of the participants. Lahore School of Economics and Iqra University, Peshawar shared the title for the Best Delegation in the over-19 category while Nixor was declared the Best Delegation in the under-19 category.
The level of competition this year was a strong indication of the talent that the youth in this country possesses. It is events like these that will encourage the young athletes to continue improving their game and represent the country internationally.
