Gaddafi Stadium to turn pink for breast cancer awareness

In order to raise awareness about breast cancer, the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will be turned pink on November 16 during the third Twenty20 International between Pakistan and Ireland.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) took the decision as part of its social business responsibility.

“Both team captains, players, match officials and commentators will wear pink ribbons over the course of the match and awareness messages will be displayed inside the stadium,” the PCB said in a press release.

“The stumps will also be branded pink. The backdrop for the post-match ceremony will be coloured pink.

“Entrance for matches is free for spectators with four enclosures – Imran Khan, Rajas’, Fazal Mahmood and Saeed Anwar – open to the public. The PCB also encourages fans to wear pink for the Wednesday’s fixture,” the statement said.

Pink coloured shirts will also be distributed to spectators in various stands during the match, PCB said.

Pakistan has one of the highest rates of breast cancer in Asia. According to Pink Ribbon, 109 women die of breast cancer every hour in the country. That takes the total tally of deaths from breast cancer to 40,000 annually while over 90,000 new cases are reported each year.

In 2017, Faisal Mosque and the National Assembly in Islamabad were also lit up in pink in solidarity with breast cancer patients.