LAHORE: Announcing emergency for the revival and development of hockey, Punjab Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs and Chairman Sports Board Punjab (SBP) Malik Faisal Ayub Khokhar said on Friday that the Punjab Sports Department will take all possible measures for enhancing hockey interest among the youth of the province.
Sports Department, despite severe financial crisis, will not sack or fire any employee, there was an agenda in front of me to fire the employees but I rejected the agenda. Now it is time for employees to work with full dedication for the development of sports, the minister said while chairing the General Body meeting of Sports Board Punjab at the National Hockey Stadium on Friday.
MPA Ajmal Khan Chandia, Secretary Sports and Youth Affairs Punjab Muzaffar Khan Sial, Director General Sports and Youth Affairs Punjab Khizar Afzaal Chaudhry, Director Admin Dr M Kaleem, Arshad Sattar, Olympian Khawaja Junaid, Ammara Rubab from Kinnaird College, Idrees Haider Khawaja, Officers of the Board of Revenue, School Education Department, P&D, Finance Department, Local Government and Police Department participated in the meeting.
Secretary Sports and Youth Affairs Punjab Muzaffar Khan Sial and Director General Sports and Youth Affairs Punjab Khizar Afzaal Chaudhry gave briefing to participants of the meeting about financial issues of Sports Board Punjab and other key features. Several important decisions were taken for the development of sports in the meeting.
Besides this the meeting emphasized on the improvement of sports facilities and make sports programmes more effective. The policy for the cancellation of sports facilities and new rates for Nishtar Park Sports Complex facilities were approved in the meeting. An additional prize money of Rs 0.7 million for table tennis and badminton (women) events in Punjab Games and the reformation of committee to name the sports facilities was also approved in the meeting.
Addressing the meeting, Malik Faisal Ayub Khokhar said that effective efforts will be made for the restoration of sports period in educational institutions with the collaboration of School Education Department. “The restoration of Sports Period in schools has great significance for the development of sports. Sports marks will be recommended to children participating in competitive sports”, he said.
He announced that Emerging Player Card is also being introduced for the development of sports passion among the younger generation. He said that all the sports facilities of Punjab will be free for players, sports federations and associations. “The rates of sports facilities will be increased by 10 % for private events,” he added.
He further said that a committee headed by Secretary Sports Punjab has been constituted to rename the sports facility of the province. “A committee comprising members of the Finance Department and Regulation Department has been constituted regarding the service of Sports Consultant and Technical Staff of the Sports Board Punjab,” he said.
He said that separate swimming coaches will be deployed for children and adults. Besides this, a report was submitted by the inquiry committee on the issues of Punjab International Swimming Complex in the meeting.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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