KP govt enlists steps taken for promotion of sports

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said on Monday that it had completed a number of projects to provide recreational as well as sports facilities to the youth.

A handout said one of the significant projects the provincial government completed was constructing international standard Hockey Turf at Mardan Sports Complex. The project cost Rs67.69 million, said the official statement. It added international level matches could now be played in the newly established hockey stadium in Mardan.

Similarly, the government constructed a shopping plaza at Qayyum Sports Complex costing Rs80.50 million, said the handout, adding the project was expected to earn revenue for the promotion of sports activities in the province.

Apart from that sports kits worth Rs40 million have also been distributed among talented players. The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been formulated and circulated to district level authorities to ensure transparency in the distribution of sports kits. 

The official statement added the provincial government has also devised a plan to ensure merit-based selection of players to discourage monopoly in sports.Moreover, for the first time in the history of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, KP under-23 games 2016 were arranged with a huge budget allocation of Rs74 million for the mega event, said the official press release.

It said that over 5000 male and female players were enlisted for participation in the sports events including inter-district competitions at divisional headquarters which followed by inter-divisional competitions at Peshawar.

It said the government was also working on a plan to establish playgrounds at tehsil level. A total of 75 grounds were likely to be established where work on 33 grounds was in progress while work on 25 grounds had already been completed.

Abdul Wali Khan Sports Complex, Charsadda, the project initiated during the previous government has also been completed within two years at a cost of Rs490 million. The sports complex would host international level competitions.