Liaquat Gymnasium lacks basic facilities to host big events

ISLAMABAD: Millions of rupees have been spent on the up-gradation and maintenance of the Liaquat Gymnasium in Islamabad during the last ten years but the venue still lacks the basic facilities that were its hallmark in the past.

A detailed visit to the venue Thursday revealed that neither the Air Conditioning System was working properly nor the lighting system was in proper shape to hold an international event like the one getting underway tomorrow (Saturday).

Those handling the strings these days at the Ministry for Inter-Provincial Ministry (IPC) or the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) stay busy in meetings all day without realizing the importance of Central Asian Volleyball.

Pakistan has invited some leading Asian volleyball-playing countries to figure in the CAVA League that gets underway from Saturday at the Liaquat Gymnasium. Neither the ministry nor PSB realizes the importance and value of this international event in real terms. No real effort has been made to make these important facilities available in time for the event.

With May getting hotter with each passing day, any volleyball action inside the gymnasium is almost impossible without a proper cooling system or heavy lights required for this stage but no one from the PSB or IPC Ministry bothers to comprehend the importance of these facilities for an international event. Day in and day out, the big guns claim to make 2025 the year of sports, but no one realizes the basic requirements. The system should be in order before making such announcements. It is the country’s prestige and image that is more important. The value of a successful international volleyball event is far higher than hollow claims and slogans. Things as these stand on Thursday would never help in projecting a positive image of Pakistan sports.

The Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) is making efforts on its own to have some stopgap arrangements that could ensure a friendly temperature inside the Gymnasium.