PSB to sponsor only potential medal winners

KARACHI: Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Board on Wednesday decided to sponsor only those athletes for the Commonwealth Games who have potential to win medals, it was reliably learnt.

Sources told 'The News' that the Board initially wanted to sponsor 75 members of the 103-strong contingent, but in the PSB Board meeting on Wednesday they decided to slash it further.

Sources said that the PSB will finalise the final list of the athletes who will be sponsored by the state for the Commonwealth Games and will share it with the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA).

However, the Board also decided that if any athlete whom the state is not sponsoring gets a medal he or she will be given all the cash incentives as per the approved policy of the government.

“As per the government policy the PSB will sponsor the athletes having medal potential and excellent performance. However, the POA may like to sponsor more players for the forthcoming Commonwealth and Islamic Solidarity Games. If any of them gets laurels for the nation, the government and the PSB will not only reimburse the participating expenditures but lucrative cash incentives as well,” the PSB said in a press release after the Board meeting.

A PSB source said that the Board's stance on the Islamic Games contingent will be decided after POA shares the list with the Board.

On awarding affiliation to Pakistan Amateur Circle Kabaddi Federation, a PSB source told this correspondent that the federation has been told to submit all the required documents with the Board within 60 days. Otherwise they will not be given affiliation, the source said.