Karachi, Pakistan, May 7, 2023: The Olympic Torch for the 34th National Games 2023 started its journey from Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah’s mausoleum on Saturday, May 6, and the flame will travel across the country before reaching host city Quetta on May 14.
The Games, featuring more than 6,500 athletes competing in 32 sports, will be held from May 22-30 in Quetta.
In a media statement, the Pakistan Olympic Association said the torch relay symbolises the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect, and was a significant part of the Olympic Games tradition bringing people from all walks of life together.
Sindh Chief Secretary Dr. Muhammad Sohail Rajput lit the torch and handed it over to hockey legend Olympian Islahuddin Siddiqui, the winning captain of the 1978 World Cup. The torch was handed over by the Pakistan Olympic Association at the beginning of the ceremony.
Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput conveyed his thanks to the Pakistan Olympic Association for starting the torch relay from Karachi. He said more than 450 athletes from Sindh province would compete at the Games.
The torch relay route will include Peshawar, Muzaffarabad, Islamabad, Lahore and finally to Quetta.