Olympic Solidarity success in Faisalabad

08 Jun. 2022

Olympic Solidarity success in Faisalabad

The Pakistan Handball Federation (PHF) and Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) recently hosted an Olympic Solidarity Technical Course for Coaches (Level C) at the University of Agriculture and Misaq Ul Mall Plaza in Faisalabad.

The university is the home of handball in the Asian nation and it welcomed 36 men and women in place for the eight-day course, which ran from 26 May to 2 June.

Two of the attendees were from neighbouring Afghanistan with the remainder made up of Pakistani-based coaches from universities plus the Pakistan Women’s Handball Association, Pakistan Army, Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Pakistan Police, Pakistan Railways, Pakistan Higher Education Commission (HEC) and regional federations including coaches from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The course was split into theoretical and practical sessions with theory running from 9:00 to 13:00 and practical sessions taking place at the university handball stadium from 17:00 to 19:00 every day.

Aliraza Habibi (IRI) was nominated as the IHF Expert to run the course, with PHF President Muhammad Shafiq as the local expert. Habibi is well-versed in Pakistani handball, having worked a number of times previously in the country. 

In addition to Habibi and Shafiq, Dr Asad Abbas from the POA Medical Commission and Dr Shoaib Shafiq, who holds a Master’s in Olympic Studies from Cologne Sports University in Germany, also delivered lectures. 

Shafiq helped coordinate the course and delivered lectures on the fast-growing discipline of wheelchair handball while Abbas discussed a variety of medical issues relating to coaching, including doping.

Olympic Solidarity PAK


After a final examination, successful participants were presented with their certificates at the New Senate Hall in the university as part of a closing ceremony which saw Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan and Dr Ahmad Sattar Khan, the Vice Chancellor and Sports Board Chairman of the university respectively, alongside POA Vice-President Syed Muhammad Abid Qari and POA Secretary General as honorary guests.

Former captain of the Pakistan men’s hockey team and 1976 Olympic Games medallist Manzoor Ul Hassan handed out certificates, supported by Habibi, Afghanistan Handball Federation President Hadyatullah Muhmand and PHF Acting Secretary General, Saqlain Kausar.

For more information on the IOC Olympic Solidarity programme visit the official website

Photos: Pakistan Handball Federation