Foreign coaches rarely hired during last four years
KARACHI: During the last four years rarely any federation hired a foreign coach mainly because time was wasted in the conflict between Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) over the implementation of the national sports policy.
Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) is the only federation which utilised the services of an Iranian coach Sajjad Kazmi, who is still attached with them.
Sajjad has been serving PJF since 2012. And a PJF official says his services benefited them as Pakistan achieved ninth ranking in the cadets category and 11th in the juniors category in Asia, having 38 countries.
He is likely to be given extension. A specific amount is allocated in the budget of PSB every financial year for hiring foreign coaches. It has been learnt that Rs10 million had been allocated for the purpose in the financial year 2015-2016 which ends next month.
As only one coach was hired, the amount saved will be re-allocated.
A PSB official said that every year 10 to 15 percent increase is made in the budget allocation for foreign coaches.
Besides meeting board and lodging charges and one return air-ticket the PSB pays the coach up to 2500 dollars per month.
If a federation wants to hire a coach who demands more money, it has to manage the extra amount itself. “It’s a meagre allocation. Through Rs10 million one cannot even hire a single good coach,” an official of a federation told ‘The News’.
“Keeping in view the high demand for coaches in international market the PSB should substantially increase the fund for the purpose. Hiring a mediocre coach will not serve the purpose,” the official added.
In the financial year 2016-17 the PSB plans to provide foreign coaches to those federations which have key international competitions ahead.
“We analyse the past progress of a federation and its medal chances in a particular international event in which it is going to field its team. Asian Games and Commonwealth Games are our major targets. Those federations which want coaches should contact us. We will help them,” a senior PSB official who deals with the matter told this correspondent.
The official said that they could hire good coaches within 2500 dollars.
He said that a Cuban boxing coach had been hired. “We have also received demands for foreign coaches from Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) and Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP),” the official revealed.
When asked how many foreign coaches the PSB could hire at one time for federations, he replied: “If we receive high demand then the budget could be enhanced,” he said.
The official said that in the PSB’s next executive committee meeting the matter of the salary of local coaches would be discussed.
The local coaches are given Rs8000 to Rs 15,000. Because of such low level of salaries coaches don’t take interest in coaching.
Recently a coach was found happy when he was dropped from the list of coaches who have been assigned the task of preparing national brigade for a very important event.
“I am happy that my name is not in the coaching panel. I am a jobless person and Rs15,000 is not enough,” the coach said.