Bilquis & Abdul Razak Dawood (BARD) Foundation has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with Pakistan’s former Tennis Star – Aisam ul Haq Qureshi to sponsor his initiative – Ace Academy, with the aim to enrich the future of Tennis in Pakistan. The academy will be scouting young, talented sports people who can be groomed into outstanding athletes, while imparting best-in-class sports knowledge and training.
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The MoU signing ceremony was graced by the Managing Trustee of BARD Foundation – Ms. Mehreen Dawood as the signatory of the agreement, along with Zain ul Haq Other guests included the Member Board of Governors – Taimur Dawood, along with a few members of Dawood family and some BARD team members, who appreciated this social-enrichment effort, while expressing their commitment to help the young tennis players elevate their quality of life, with more opportunities to earn fame and fortune.
The Ace Academy will offer a 12-months training program for tennis enthusiasts aged 18 years or younger selected from Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi and Peshawar. The program will be conducted by top coaches of national-repute, to provide customized training, fitness and nutrition plans, to nurture local talents. This whole regime is formulated with clear performance-measures and goals for the participants. Each trainee’s progress is monitored and evaluated regularly, to adjust the methodology, till the 2 best athletes are selected, for their capability to compete well in international tournaments.
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The selection-process for this program will comprise of trials in Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Karachi that will continue for the initial 40 days, while athletes will be selected in two age-groups Under-14 & Under-18 (2 boys and 2 girls from each age group will form a group of 4). The selected players will go through 2 hour-long sessions on Techniques: (drills, hitting, points) and Fitness: (endurance, agility, speed). One boy and one girl from each age group, per city, will be awarded the “Ace Mentorship”.
BARD Foundation is a human-development initiative, founded by the renowned industrialist & technocrat – Abdul Razak Dawood and his philanthropist wife – Ms. Bilquis Dawood. This resourceful foundation has the vision to support less-fortunate individuals for achieving their true potential, as champions in their professional or technical field, while also helping talented sportsmen in learning more skills to compete internationally.
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Another initiative of BARD Foundation, Descon Technical Institute (DTI) imparts vocational skills to change the lives of impoverished families. Thus, the Dawood family is creating a conducive environment for professional development.
