Sports marks should be awarded to students at school, college levels: minister

LAHORE : Provincial Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Malik Faisal Ayub Khokhar said that sports marks should be awarded to students at school and college level. “Through this measure, the true sports culture could be promoted among the youth of the province quite effectively”.

He said this while addressing the opening ceremony of Inter-Division phase of Khelta Punjab Games at the Punjab Stadium on Thursday. Faisal Khokhar stated that the Punjab Chief Minister has released a Sports Endowment Fund of two billion rupees for the development of sports. “This fund played an effective role in providing much wanted financial relief to talented athletes of the province”. He said that under Chief Minister Internship Programme, Rs 25,000 are being awarded to the talented youth for a period of six months. “6,000 talented youth are being given scholarships from Sports Endowment Fund for the first time under CM Internship Programme”.

Faisal Ayub Khokhar said that Chief Minister Punjab had announced the restoration of sports culture in her first speech after being elected chief minister of the province. “The previous government had made Punjab Sports Complexes deserted through their strange policies. Punjab Chief Minister has allocated funds of crores of rupees and restored 58 sports complexes across the province”. Senior Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, Punjab Minister Bilal Yasin, senior political leaders Saiful Malook Khokhar, Ghazali Butt, MPA Hafiz Noman, MPA Shahbaz Khokhar, Commissioner Lahore Zaid bin Maqsood, Secretary Youth Affairs and Sports Punjab Muzaffar Khan Sial, Secretary Mines and Minerals Punjab Pervez Iqbal, DG Sports Punjab Khizar Afzaal, Director Sports Rana Nadeem Anjum, Director Admin Dr M Kaleem and other notables were also present at the mega inaugural ceremony.

Top sports stars including Olympic javelin throw gold medallist Arshad Nadeem, world tennis star and President Pakistan Tennis Federation Aisamul Haq Qureshi, Rana Atif of Lahore Qalandars, weightlifter Nooh Dastgir Butt, Olympian Kh Junaid, former kabaddi captain Shafiq Chishti, international Javelin Thrower Yasir Sultan, athlete Faiqa Riaz, Olympian Shabana Akhtar and Sohail Adnan were also present on this occasion. Over 2,000 male and female players from all divisions under the leadership of their respective divisional sports officers took part in march past. Aisamul Haq Qureshi took oath from all the participating athletes before the commencement of competitions. Besides this, several singers, regional dancers and artists won huge appreciation from a large crowd for their impressive performances.