K ARACHI: The seventh National Men`s Softball Championship is scheduled to take place here at the Karachi Port Trust from Oct 23 to 25, under the auspices of the Sindh Softball Association.

This decision was made during a meeting of the Softball Federation of Pakistan`s executive committee, chaired by president Asif Azeem and attended by senior vice president professor Dr.

Farhan Essa, chairperson Yasmin Haider and secretary general Naseem Khan.

The championship will be accompanied by the 15th National Women`s Softball Championship, also tobe held here laterthisyear.

Additionally, Dr. Essa Laboratories and Combaxx Sports have been granted playing rights as new departments.Next year`s softball calendar includes the first Inter-Departmental Softball league in Lahore, the inter-provincial junior men`s championship hosted by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Softball Association and a bilateral series between Sindh and Balochistan men`s teams in Quetta.

To promote softball development, the federation plans to organise interschool championships annually.-Sports Reporter