TFS RECOMMENDATIONS: Government plans to form new sports board

ISLAMABAD: The government is contemplating the establishment of the Sports Skill, Infrastructure and Educational Development Board as recommended by the Task Force on Sports (TFS) to streamline the existing system and to make it result-oriented.

‘The News’ has learnt that the proposal that is part and parcel of the TFS’ recommendations is considered as step forward to initiate sports development while keeping all the connected elements in the lop.

“Task Force is planning to raise a Sports Skill, Infrastructure and Educational Development Board which will be responsible for major games’ development on all fronts and in every knock and corner of the country,” a source said.

The Task Force members believe that the existing Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has failed to get the required results for which it was constituted. “We don’t think that the required results can be obtained through the existing system. Major shake-up is required in order to streamline the affairs. What required is to run the system on professional manners rather than individually.

“Nowhere in the world where results come thick and fast, is the system based on personalities. Rather than the professional system ensures that each component of that particular system works independently. That is the proper way to make the system result-oriented,” the source added.

The new board if gets approval from the top would replace the existing PSB. Those workers and employees who would be useful for the new and fresh system would be retained.

The Task Force is in final stages of formulating their priorities and recommendations that would be forwarded to the prime minister for approval.

The main focus of the new board would be to look after the leading games in the country. These include hockey, squash, football, tennis and a few others.

“The board would not be a governing body rather than it would be there to help out the leading federations in inculcating result-oriented system and to maintain their federations in a way where it would not be difficult for them to fetch sponsors and look after much needed finances,” the source said.

The Task Force is also expected to give a roadmap as how the new system would work.

Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed concern over failure standard of the sports in the country (both administrative and games) during a recent meeting of the Task Force members and had directed them to chalk out a strategy to change the existing one.