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Friday March 29, 2024

19 Olympic sports facilities to be built at PSB centre

By Syed Intikhab Ali
December 07, 2020

KARACHI: A consultant will visit PSB-owned coaching centre in Karachi on Monday (today) to examine how facilities for 19 Olympic games could be built there, including a swimming pool, lawn tennis grass courts, and hostel rooms, 'The News' learnt on Sunday.

The consultant has been hired by Aqeel Karim Dhedhi, who is an executive committee member of PSB. Dhedhi last month visited the centre to determine how the delayed sports projects could be revived.

Dhedhi, a prominent businessman, has been included in PSB executive board to promte sports activities with the help of private sector, as PSB is unable to provide required amount of funds to maintain and develop sports facilities.

He finally decided to establish an international standard swimming pool, tennis courts, rehabilitate the indoor gymnasium with new wooden floor, and develop girls and boys hostel rooms, informed sources revealed.

It has to be mentioned that the centre in Karachi is fast deteriorating due to lack of proper maintenance. The massive monsoon rains exposed its weak infrastructure. The front wall of the centre collapsed.

Dhedhi was accompanied by Olympian Samiullah and former Pakistan athlete and leading coach Muhammad Talib, former athlete Shah Naeem, athletics coach Imran Khan, and former national athlete Mehboob Dawood.

Talking to 'The News', Dhedhi said after observing the dilapidated condition of the centre and discussing it with prominent sports personalities, he had decided that the development work on various sports projects should be carried out in phases, so that ongoing sports activities should be not be interrupted.

"We have decided that we will work to provide at least 19 Olympic games facilities at the centre so that there are maximum sports facilities at one place. There is no swimming pool or tennis court but there is land avaiblbe there. Thus, we will work on these projects here so that wheneven Pakistan wants to organise international event of any of these 19 Olympic games, or even all of them, it could be held at one place," Dhedhi said.

He said that the condition of old hostel rooms was very poor. "The doors and windows are broken or even have disappeared, there is no gas and electricity connections, ceiling of the rooms is rusted and rainwater drips in the rooms. The consultant will decide whether it can be renovated or will have to be rebuilt," he added.

He added the fitness center, which has received no new equipment for last 40 years, would also be properly maintained. New weight-lifting and bodybuilding equipment would be installed there, he said.

Dhedhi said a new tartan track was also required but it would be taken up at a later stage.

He said that this initiative was taken because the federal government had no funds to develop sports infrastructure or organise sports activities.