Kabul (BNA) President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, met with the participants of the second round of Buzkashi League and spear-throwers at the Chahar Chinar Palace this morning, the Presidential Press Office said in a statement Sunday.
The meeting was also attended by the Director General of Office for the Presidential Affairs, Chairman of Meshrano Jirga, Chairman of the National Radio and Television (RTA) and a number of cabinet members, as well as the free fighter champion, Abdul Azim Badakhshi, the statement said. At the outset, the RTA director, Ismail Miakhail, said that this year’s Buzkashi League had attracted more than 300 horse-riders from all over the country in eight teams thus the legend Buzkashi turned to a reality in Afghanistan, the statement quoted.
We are working together with the Olympic Committee to standardize these games and provide them with the opportunity to participate in the upcoming Olympic Games,” said Miakhail, referring to the value of Buzkashi and spear throwing in Afghanistan. Hafizullah Wali Rahimi, head of the National Olympic Committee, and Saifuddin Tandghan, head of the Buzkashi Federation, said that due to the government’s special attention, sports federations have started a developing momentum and asked for the creation of standard stadiums for Buzkashi in Kabul and other provinces of the country.
The country’s president Mohammad Ashraf Ghani congratulated the Kunduz and Kandahar Buzkashi teams for winning the final and said that today Buzkashi and spear-throwing have become national sports instead of being eradicated, the statement quoted.
“Our people’s interest in Buzkashi, spear-throwing and horse riding is historical and the government is committed to continue upholding it,” the president said.
The country’s president instructed the Ministry of Finance to allocate a mid-year budget for the construction of a standard Buzkashi stadium in Kabul and the head of the National Olympic Committee for considering a source to insure Buzkashi athletes and the horses, the statement said.
The president congratulated Abdul Azim Badakhshi, the free fighter champion, on his recent victory and said Afghan athletes were our representatives and they have brought pride to the country in various fields.
The participants of the sec-round of the Buzkashi League and spearmen put turban on the president head and a robe on his shoulders, the statement concluded.
