Sportspeople to urge Punjab govt to allow training, competitions

KARACHI: Players and officials who will gather at Governor’s House Punjab in Lahore on Wednesday to express solidarity with the Kashmiri people will try to contact the CM Punjab Usman Buzdar and provincial sports minister and urge them to allow professionals to start training at government-run sports complexes and gymnasiums, ‘The News’ has learnt.

They said that they would present their case to Punjab CM and sports minister. “Everybody is back to their work but not us,” said an official. “Now the coronavirous cases are sharply decreasing and COVID-19 seems to be under control. Why can’t the sports activities be restored,” he added.

They said that they would request the CM Punjab and provincial sports minister to allow the professionals to train in sports complexes and gymnasiums. They would also request them to start the activities of non-contact sports.

International sports activities have been restored in various countries, including Test cricket and professional football.

Around two weeks ago the minister of IPC asked the provincial governments to formulate a policy for resuming activities which have been suspended since the outbreak of coronavirus in March. But they have not responded to IPC minister so far.

Players and officials say their problems are increasing day by day.

The Sindh government has opened its sports complexes but has not yet specifically allowed professional and amateur sportsmen to use the government-run gymnasiums and sports complexes for training.

The provincial governments have not even said anything about the opening of non-contact sports such as athletics, table tennis, badminton, basketball, bodybuilding, weight-lifting, volleyball, and snooker.

The PHF secretary Olympian Asif Bajwa has also written a letter to the Punjab government to seek their permission and cooperation for organising the training camps of national senior and junior teams and a 5-a-side tournament in August-September.