Sports activities at YMCA to be revived soon

KARACHI: The Sindh government has released Rs50 million for sports activities at YMCA ground, sources informed 'The News' on Sunday.

The YMCA ground used to be one of the famous sporting places in Karachi, but the sporting activities remained suspended for more than a decade.

The illegal occupants have been removed under court orders and development work has been started.

The development work is being carried out under the supervision of Commissioner Karachi Muhammad Sohail Rajput.

Sources said that the Sindh government wanted to develop a big sports complex but the project would take some time. For now, the ground leveling work has been started and in place of the boundary wall a grill is being installed to give a good look to the ground.

YMCA assistant secretary William Saleem said that in the first phase, the boundary wall of the ground had been razed which will be replaced by a beautiful iron grill. After that, a jogging track will be constructed. Football, basketball, hockey and other sports activities will be launched soon, he said.

The sources said that athletics activities would also be organised as it is an ideal place for laying a tarton track. A swimming pool is also in the plans, the sources said.

KHA Secretary Haider Hussain said that many famous Pakistani hockey players, including Olympians Shahid Ali Khan, Mansoor Ahmed, and Ahmed Alam, started their careers from YMCA hockey ground.

The KHA secretary said that renowned hockey coach Shabi Abbas, the founder of YMCA Hockey Club, would once again work for the promotion of hockey at YMCA.

He said that hockey and other sports activities would be started within two months. He added that the KHA would organise an all-Sindh tournament at the ground.