By Sports Reporter
LAHORE: The 14th Inter-School and Inter-College Games 2026 opened with a colourful ceremony, with more than 300 school and college teams from across Punjab participating in competitions across 24 men’s and women’s sports.
Director General Sports Punjab Tariq Qureshi and Pakistan Olympic Association Treasurer Ahmer Malik attended the opening ceremony as chief guests.
Other prominent attendees included Idrees Haider Khawaja, Zahoor Ahmed, Arshad Sattar, Punjab Olympic Association Secretary Waqar Ali and Dr Asad Abbas Shah.
The opening ceremony featured a march past by participating schools and colleges, while students presented colourful performances and tableaus.
Speaking on the occasion, Punjab Olympic Association Chief Executive Officer Idrees Haider Khawaja said the initiative aimed to encourage children to take part in sports and urged parents to send their children to playgrounds.
He said students looked forward to these competitions throughout the year.
Highlighting the importance of athletes’ health and safety, Khawaja said doctors specialising in physical health and physiotherapists would brief participants at every venue on the risks associated with performance-enhancing drugs and doping.
He said the event was expected to cost Rs3 million, while a funding proposal of Rs2.5 million had been submitted to the Punjab government.
