IAAF coach wants sports to be made compulsory at schools

LAHORE: Rafiq Ahmed, Pakistan’s Level 3 Coach of the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF), has urged the government to make sports compulsory at schools and set up proper athletics tracks in major cities of the country for the training of athletes.

There are such tracks for athletes training all over India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. South Korea, Japan and China have such tracks at their schools, colleges and universities, Rafiq said while talking to reporters here.

He said that more and more technical officials and coaching courses should be conducted across the country so that Pakistani technical officials and coaches could get the most up-to-date information about modern techniques, new rules and regulations.

He said there was a need for development of infrastructure and the grant received by the federation was like peanuts.

He said that the medals won by Pakistani athletes in international competitions during the last 10 years was the result of the hard work of the athletes and AFP officials.

“It is very difficult for Pakistani athletes to win medals abroad without government sponsorship,” he said and added: “Pakistan would be among the best if the government provided international standard infrastructure, trained athletes under the supervision of qualified domestic and foreign coaches, and promised economic security to athletes,” he added.