Green-shirts to get Rs7.2 million reward

KARACHI: Punjab government is going to award Rs7.2 million to the Green-shirts for winning silver medal at the Champions Trophy.
Besides, it is going to launch a blue turf hockey stadium project in Rawalpindi, ‘The News’ has learnt.
Sources said that DG Punjab Sports Board Usman Anwar informed chief coach of national hockey team Shahnaz Sheikh that the provincial government, on the directives of chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, would give Rs7.2 million to acknowledge their achievement of silver medal at the Champions Trophy in India last year. It was after 18 years that Pakistan won this medal at Champions Trophy.
PHF has been facing serious financial problems due to delay in release of funds by the government.
The members of national hockey team and the officials have remained deprived of their salaries for last one year and a half.
The federal government has to give prize money to the players for winning gold medal at Asian Champions Trophy 2012, silver medal at Asian Games 2014, and silver medal at Champions Trophy 2014.
The sources said that Punjab Sports Board would organise a befitting ceremony in the honour of the team and the officials in Lahore on March 13 where it will distribute Rs7.2 million among the players.
They said that each player would be awarded Rs300,000 approximately.
Punjab Sports Board has also finalised the plan of construction of a flood-lit blue turf hockey stadium in Rawalpindi and tenders for this have been called on March 10.
Olympian Shahnaz Sheikh said the new stadium would be developed in Satellite Town.
Shahnaz, who has been elected the president of Rawalpindi district hockey association, said it was a great moment for all the hockey community as it was going to be the first time that a stadium would have blue turf as well as flood lights.
“I was striving for this project and after getting approval of it my first aim has been achieved. My next goal is to get established a world-class hockey academy here,” he said.
He said that former MNA Hanif Abbasi and MPA Afzal Chaudhary supported him for this project.
He said the construction and the laying of blue turf would be completed by the end of August this year.
Shahnaz claimed that all development work would be undertaken keeping in mind the requirements for international matches.
Murtaza Bhatti, who has been elected secretary of the local association, has also worked for this project.