Punjab’s sports department has unveiled the official logo for the Pak-China Friendship Summer Games 2026, marking a major step toward the staging of the five-day sporting event.
The logo was unveiled at a ceremony at the National Hockey Stadium, led by Punjab Sports Minister Malik Faisal Ayub Khokhar. Director General Sports Punjab M. Tariq Qureshi, Director Administration Abid Shaukat, Deputy Director Zahoor Ahmed and other senior officials also attended.
The Games will bring together athletes from across Punjab, while Chinese athletes will also participate in the competitions.
The event is being held as part of celebrations marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China, adding a sporting dimension to a year of cultural, diplomatic and people-to-people activities between the two countries.
A Large-Scale Selection Process
The scale of the selection process has made the Friendship Games particularly significant for Punjab’s sports sector.
According to Khokhar, nearly 70,000 athletes from across Punjab’s divisions participated in trials for the event. Organizers subsequently narrowed the pool to around 2,000 athletes who will compete in the final Games.
Athletes from all divisions of Punjab will take part, providing emerging competitors with an opportunity to compete at a major provincial-level event.
Khokhar described the Games as a platform for young and emerging talent to demonstrate their abilities.
The event also links competition with longer-term athlete development. Top performers will qualify for the Punjab Sports Endowment Fund, which provides continued financial and developmental support to athletes after the Games.
Organizers will also distribute Rs 5 million in prize money among top performers across the different sporting categories.
Chinese Athletes Add an International Dimension
The participation of Chinese athletes gives the Games an international character and strengthens the sporting component of Pakistan-China relations.
The event builds on a broader pattern of sporting exchanges between the two countries. In March, departmental teams including the Pakistan Army, WAPDA, Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Air Force competed in the Pak-China Friendship Cup All Pakistan 3×3 Basketball Championship in Lahore.
That earlier competition was also held under the wider friendship-games framework and provided another platform for sporting interaction between Pakistan and China.
The September Games expand that engagement through a larger multi-sport event involving athletes selected from across Punjab.
Part of Punjab’s Wider Sports Calendar
The Friendship Games are also part of a broader sports calendar developed by Punjab’s sports department this year.
In July, Khokhar outlined three major upcoming sporting events: the CM Punjab Champions League, Punjab Youth Games and Pakistan-China Friendship Games.
He described the Punjab Youth Games as the largest sporting festival in the province’s history, while also linking the Friendship Games to the 75th anniversary of Pakistan-China diplomatic relations.
The September event therefore combines provincial sports development with the wider anniversary programme between Pakistan and China.
The unveiling of the official logo is the latest major step toward the Games, which are scheduled to take place from September 24 to 28 at Nishtar Park Sports Complex in Lahore.
What the Friendship Games Represent
Pakistan and China have held friendship-themed sporting events in the past, but this year’s edition stands out because of its scale and its direct connection with the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
The selection of around 2,000 athletes from a trial pool of nearly 70,000 also makes the event more than a sporting competition. It functions as a large-scale talent-identification exercise for Punjab.
The link with the Punjab Sports Endowment Fund could further extend the impact of the Games by providing selected athletes with continued financial and developmental support.
At the same time, the participation of Chinese athletes gives the event a people-to-people dimension beyond the competitions themselves.
The Games will conclude on September 28. Their longer-term significance will depend partly on whether the event develops into a recurring platform for Pakistan-China sporting cooperation or remains primarily associated with this year’s 75th-anniversary celebrations.
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