Tennis, squash officials seek government funds

ISLAMABAD: Tennis and squash federations’ officials, who met Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Minister Dr Fehmida Mirza on Monday, have sought consistent federal and provincial government’s support in an effort to further promote result-oriented games.

Senior Vice President (SVP) Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) Air Marshal Shahid Akhtar Alvi and Pakistan Tennis Federation President Salim Saifullah Khan met IPC minister in an effort to make government realise on their requirements.

“Pakistan is to host India for the very first time for the Davis Cup tie in September in Islamabad. We need to prepare for that historic occasion. Preparations are not confined only to host the tie but to prepare a competitive team for the occasion. India has got a strong tennis base. We need to make best use of the opportunity,” Saifullah briefed the IPC minister.

Air Marshal Shahid Akhtar also sought more support from the government in an effort to stage renaissance in the game. “Squash has always been one of the leading games. The federation needs consistent financial backing to keep up the tempo with international activities,” Air Marshal Shahid Akhtar said.

The government has already stopped what meager grant they were giving to federations. This is despite the fact that some of the federations like tennis and squash are continuously producing results. Instead of increasing the grants, even these federations are without any government support for the last ten months now.

During the meeting with Dr Fehmida Mirza, both federations’ officials were seen complaining on the stoppage of funds.

“We have to spend heavy amount on teams’ participation in international events abroad. Every other month we have to send teams abroad for regional, Asian or for international events. Participation in international events is important to keep up the tempo with international activities so that the country stays at par with the best nations in the continent,” both told the minister.

Saifullah apprised the minister on the performance of tennis federation and also highlighted its efforts to bring Davis Cup to Pakistan after 12 years.

Ideas of establishing a Sports University and to generate funds from different sources were also discussed.

Shahid Akhtar Alvi highlighted federation’s achievements in recent times.

“It was agreed to establish squash courts in Giligit-Baltistan and North Waziristan.”

Dr Fehmida appreciated the achievements of the two federations and acknowledged the fact that with resource constraints, both are contributing to the cause in best possible way. She also assured of the government’s support and asked the federations to underline their priorities regarding training of the players and their requirements for participation in international events.