KARACHI: Pakistan set a new record after Affan Salman led the country to clinch World Youth Scrabble Championship (WYSC) title in Sri Lanka for the fifth time. Pakistan’s Affan Salman became the World Youth Scrabble Champion in Sri Lanka.

The 16-year-old won 19 out of 23 games during the championship. Pakistan is the first country to win the WYSC this many times. A total of 138 players from around the world participated in the championship. The first World Youth Scrabble Championships were held in Wollongong, Australia 2006. Competitors from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, England, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates and United States have competed in the annual tournament so far. WYSC is open to anyone under the age of 18 on January 1 of the year of each tournament. So far the WYSC tournament has been held in Malaysia five times, Australia twice, Dubai twice and the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and the United Kingdom once each.