Emphasizing the need to nurture domestic talent for global competitions, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Saturday, called for unhindered access to training and resources for young athletes across the country.
Speaking at a ceremony held to honour the national medalists from the recently concluded Asian Games, the prime minister announced plans to convene a comprehensive National Sports Conference.
The upcoming summit will bring together federal and provincial sports officials, legendary former sports stars, and prominent contemporary athletes to map out a strategic road-map for reviving Pakistan’s sporting prominence on the international stage.
He said the conference would discuss in detail the next steps to improve sports so the national flag can fly high again on the world stage.
The prime minister said he believed that they must provide opportunities for the training of their athletes. “We must provide our young players in Punjab, Sindh, KP, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Kashmir with opportunities to move forward, encouraging and supporting talent wherever it exists, without discrimination,” he emphasised.
The ceremony was attended by ministers, parliamentarians, relevant authorities, players, athletes and former sports legends. The prime minister, expressing his pleasure at hosting the athletes, who had won medals at the Asian Games through their hard work, tireless efforts, and the prayers of their parents, extended his heartfelt congratulations to them.
“By winning two silver and eight bronze medals, you have undoubtedly brought great honours to Pakistan in the Asian Games, but there is still plenty of room to move forward,” he added. He opined that Allah Almighty has blessed Pakistan with successes in different sports fields in the past. In the field of hockey, he recollected that there was a time when Pakistan’s dominance was recognized worldwide, featuring legends like Hasan Sardar, Shahnaz Sheikh, Shehbaz Senior, Junior, Akhtar Rasool, and countless other hockey players who made Pakistan’s name shine across the globe.
Similarly, he said in the field of cricket, Pakistan also won major events. In squash, Jahangir Khan along with Jansher Khan brought glory to the nation. The prime minister said during his tenure in the previous government, he had directed for immediate implementation of a proposal regarding support and ownership extended to the national players by different government’s entities like PIA, Railways, WAPDA, and many other organizations.
The prime minister also distributed cheques among the winning players and said that it was a gesture to encouragement. Addressing the ceremony Chairman Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP) Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan said that the prime minister had always maintained a steadfast commitment to the youth-whether it was in the field of education, technical education, IT, AI, arts and culture, science and technology, or sports, he had always encouraged the youth to step forward in every field.
He said football had a huge following in Pakistan, and the younger generation is moving forward in this field very rapidly.
He highlighted that women’s cricket and hockey teams were also making progress. In sports arenas whether it is hockey, cricket, football, or other fields like volleyball, kabaddi, and numerous other sports segments, they needed to make collective efforts which also required trainers and resources.
Recognizing e-sports as a sport, the cabinet’s granted approval for the e-sports policy and its federation. Former legends Hasan Sardar and Jahangir Khan also spoke on the occasion and underlined suggestions for improvement of sports in the country by providing sports facilities and financial support to the young talent.
On the occasion, a young player from Sohrab Goth who won medal in the Asian Games informed the audience about his hard work and training. Earlier, the prime minister distributed cheques among the winners of Asian Games.