Dilapidated condition of fitness club at PSB centre

KARACHI: The condition of the fitness club of PSB owned national coaching center is deteriorating day by day due to lack of funds and lethargic attitude of PSB high officials in Islamabad although the center earns more than Rs5 million annually by letting its facilities for sports events to private sector, especially education institutions.

The PSB fitness club was operational before the corona pandemic. Now it gives a look of a store room or dumping room for machines.

The PSB officials have not paid any attention to sport projects at the center. The PTI-led federal government inducted private sector members in the PSB executive committee this year in June who say they would not depend on government funds and grants as they know that federal government does not have sufficient amount of funds to resolve the affairs of Pakistan sports.

Sources said that the issue of the poor condition of fitness club of PSB center in Karachi is not a major hurdle. It needs only the maintenance of some bodybuilding and weightlifting machines and installation of some new equipment. The authorities concerned in Islamabad are not paying attention to the maintenance of this fitness center.

It has to be mentioned that all professional athletes who practise at the tartan track used this club for fitness. Besides, athletes of various disciples including judo, karate, boxing, bodybuilding and weight-lifting also used this fitness club.

Aqeel Karim Dhedhi, a prominent businessman of the city, who has been included in the PSB executive committee to resolve the issues of Karachi’s national coaching center, also said that the condition of fitness club of national coaching would also be improved and it is included in his planning as far as the development and completion of various sports projects in national coaching center are concerned.

Last week, a consultant visited the center, but surprisingly he did not see the fitness club.

When this correspondent contacted a member of Dhedhi's sports team, he said that the renovation of the fitness club is included in the planning of national coaching center development plan. He assured that new weights, machines and other necessary equipment would be set up in the fitness club of national coaching center.