National tent championship held at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) on Monday concluded. UAF Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Iqbal Zafar and CPO Athar Ismail were the chief guests. The event was arranged by the Equestrian Federation of Pakistan in collaboration with UAF. In championship, 125 teams comprising 500 tent peggers took part.
In the single tent pegging, Sardar Ehsan Dogar from Jutt Friend Club Faisalabad clinched the first position while Rai Noor Muhammad from Dolat Bukhari Club Chiniot and Mahar Muhammad Hayat from Chenab Prince Club Gujrat got the second and third positions respectively. In the section tent pegging, Ch Hassan Raza from Punjab Tent Pegging Club Gujrat got the first position while Sardarzada Hussain Abbas from Muhammadia Haideria Club Chiniot and Malik Muhammad Tahir from Minawali stood second and third respectively. The championship witnessed tent pegging by riders waving spears to collect the wooden peg amid clouds of dust rising from the grounds. The rider hanging halfway down while galloping with high speed to lift the piece of wood with spear is a main source of attraction for visitors. UAF Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Iqbal Zafar said that that that mounted troops (cavalry) have practised tent pegging since 4th century BC. It was spread to various part of the world by Asian and later European empires. He said that event attracted the best tent-peggers across the country. The CPO, Athar Ismail, lauded the holding of such national tent pegging championship here at the UAF. He said that the activities will revive our cultural and traditional sports at the time when such activities are fading away. UAF Directorate of Farms Director Dr Farooq Ahmad said that tent pegging was being played at national level in the nineteen countries.