A great success: Pakistan Army hosts 3rd International PACES Competition

Nations that are strong enough to face daunting challenges — physically and mentally with courage and determination – often progress and turn their dreams into reality. The Pakistan Army is trained to constantly uphold its soldierly attributes of courage, character and competence to fulfill the trust reposed by the nation. The Physical Agility and Combat Efficiency System (PACES) of the Pakistan Army has proven its effectiveness during the fight against terrorism. The Pakistan Army has confronted insurmountable challenges that called for extreme endurance and constant vigilance. Being one the toughest competitions for the international and national Army teams, PACES has been regarded as a true reflection of the physical standards and endurance of the soldiers.

The concept of PACES was evolved in 2011 with the establishment of a PACES cell, responsible to create and organise training events to ensure and enhance physical fitness and the strength of our soldiers. In order to introduce the PACES concept to our international counterparts, the Pakistan Army organised three international PACES competitions – the first and second international PACES competitions were organized in 2016 and 2018 in Lahore, respectively.

The latest edition of the International PACES Competition was also organised in Lahore, in which 160 sportsmen from 16 teams, including 9 from the Pakistan Army and 7 international sportsmen, participated. Contingents from countries including Iraq, Jordon, Palestine, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan and the UAE took part in the competition, whereas representatives from Myanmar, Indonesia, Japan and Egypt participated as observers.

The opening ceremony of the 3rd International PACES competition was recently held at Fortress Stadium, Lahore. Inspector General Training and Evaluation Lt. General Syed Muhammad Adnan graced the occasion as the chief guest.

Lt. General Adnan, gave a warm welcome to the participants from the visiting countries and lauded their spirit, enthusiasm and participation. He emphasised the importance of physical agility and combat efficiency for battle worthiness. Furthermore, he maintained that physical fitness is the hallmark of a soldier, as it gives them the ability to endure the hardships of the battlefield. Highlighting the improved security situation in Pakistan, Lt. General Adnan declared Pakistan a safe country for sports and tournaments.

All the participating teams joined a flag march past, followed by a PACES theme video, pipe band display, tent pegging and traditional folk dances to the tune of famous regional songs along with a spectacular demonstration by the Pakistan Army band which won thunderous applause from the audience.

The competition

The conduct of events commenced with a pull ups competition at Ayub Stadium on 2 November 2021. The gold medal was secured by Corporal D.M.C. Dissanayake from Sri Lanka in the international category and in the domestic category by Sapper Amjad from Engineer Centre of Pakistan Army, who won by doing a PACES record breaking 967 pull ups. The silver medal was awarded to Corporal Aththanayake from Sri Lanka in the international category, while in the domestic category Sapper Awais from Engineers Center took the silver. The bronze medal was secured by Corporal Wanigasekara from Sri Lanka and in domestic by Sapper Hassan from Engineers Centre.

The second day of the competition dawned with a 3.2 kilometre race. A total of 160 enthusiastic athletes, who were divided into five groups, took part in the race which started from Askari 10 near the Allama Iqbal International Airport, and ended at Ayub Stadium. The participants showed extreme enthusiasm and passion in running.

Mubarak Rashid of UAE gave the best time of 09:02:42 breaking the record of the Second International PACES competition 2018 made by Obaid Mohammad of 09:26:23 from UAE and obtained first position. In the domestic individual category, Ahmed Raza from the Engineers Centre of Pakistan Army secured a gold medal. The silver medal was secured by Warrant Officer Obaid from UAE and in the domestic category the silver was given to Sepoy Shabbir from Army Service Corps, whereas the bronze medal was secured by Lieutenant Zaid Madhloom from Iraq and Recruit Dilshad from Army Service Corps in the domestic team category.

The fourth day of the event was based on the sit-ups category where all the participants showed a rigorous display of resolution and endurance during the 30 minutes allotted time. Corporal Dissanayake from Sri Lanka secured the gold medal in the international category and Sapper Shahzad from the Engineer Centre of Pakistan Army won in the domestic category. Corporal Madhushanka from Sri Lanka secured the silver medal and Sapper Fasih from Engineers Centre in the domestic category. The bronze medal was secured by Corporal Senevirathna from Sri Lanka and in the domestic category by Sepoy Tahir from the Army Service Corps.

On the fifth day at Ayub Stadium, Lahore Garrison, in the push up category, the gold medal was secured by Corporal Obesiri from Sri Lanka and Sapper Irfan of Engineers Centre of Pakistan Army. The silver medal was awarded to soldier Aws Saleem from Iraq and technical assistant Idress from Gujranwala Corps in the domestic category. The bronze medal was secured by Corporal Senevirathna from Sri Lanka and Sapper Mujahid from the Engineers Centre in the domestic category.

Meanwhile, the Combat Efficiency Test (CET) was held at Mehfooz Shaheed Garrison. The primary objective of the participants in the test was to get from the starting point to the finish line in the least possible time. However, their path was littered with different kinds of obstacles, including a zigzag track; jumping over a nine-metre ditch; carrying a casualty to a safe place; crawling through a high barred den; carrying an ammunition box; lobbing a grenade to clear the area; and firing a round of shots at the target. In the CET, the gold medal was secured by Corporal Raja Karuna from Sri Lanka and in the domestic category to Naik Ijaz from the Multan Corps team. Silver medal was awarded to Sargeant Mahmodov Doston from Uzbekistan and Zia Ullah from ASFC Pakistan Army in the domestic category. The bronze medal was awarded to Corporal Qossay Ateeli from Palestine and technical assistant Javaid from Gujranwala Corps in the domestic category.

In the fittest of the fittest category, Corporal Dissanayaka from Sri Lanka and Sapper Amjad from Engineers Centre received gold medals. Separately, in the international teams category, Sri Lanka secured the gold medal while UAE and Uzbekistan jointly won the silver medal, while the bronze was shared by Palestine, Jordan and Iraq. In the domestic teams category, the defending champions, Engineers Regimental Centre Team, won the gold medal, while the silver medal was won by Multan Corps and the bronze by Baloch Regimental Centre Team.

The successful completion of the 3rd international PACES Championship at Lahore reflects positively on Pakistan’s image as a peaceful nation that is completely safe and secure for the conduct of international sports events.

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