BEIJING: “Cricket is the most popular national sport in Pakistan. Young people always be seen playing it in the streets and Pakistan’s cricket national team enjoys a world-wide reputation.
I am glad to see that the gradual popularity of cricket in Chinese schools which injects more impetus into the people-to-people cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan,” highlighted Dr. Awais Zafar, First Secretary, Pakistani Embassy in China while visiting SCO Demonstration Area Experimental Primary.
In 2021, Moin ul Haque, Ambassador of Pakistan to China, awarded the “China-Pakistan Qingdao Special Cricket School” to the SCODA Primary School and donated his signature cricket equipment.
The ambassador expressed his hope that more Chinese children will appreciate and participate in cricket and enjoy the joy and growth that comes with sports competition.
The children of the SCODA Primary School sang the classic Pakistani song “Beautiful Land” in Urdu to welcome the ambassador and his delegation.
SCODA Experimental Primary School and Pakistan China Center at SCODA have launched in-depth cooperation in building cricket schools with characteristics with the key tasks of “promotion of characteristic cricket”, “training of cricket coaches”, “establishment of school cricket teams” and “organization of regional cricket competitions”.
The school coordinated all grades and organized all teachers and students to learn cricket and every student became a “little cricket gymnastics master”.
At present, the school has carried out the cricket exercise for more than a year, which attached extensive attention and following. Ms Yu Xia, head of the SCODA Experimental Primary told China Economic Net that they are planning to cooperate with other characteristic cricket schools in China to hold competitions.
“After the students improve their cricket skills, we will set up a cricket club to go to Pakistan for exchanges,” she added.
On International Children’s Day, the teachers and students of SCODA Primary School and Hawk International School Lahore carry out cultural exchange activities including cricket exercise and singing performances online.
Ms Noshin Shahid, head of Hawk, appreciated the efforts of SCODA Primary in promoting cricket and Urdu songs in China. She also offered to visit the school in the near future for in-depth collaboration.
Both schools intend to form a Chinese-Pakistani children’s choir to exchange students with friendship schools, perform at important events, and hold children’s calligraphy and painting exhibitions with expert Chinese and Pakistani judges.
