APP
\nPESHAWAR
\nIn order to ensure access to sports facilities to youth of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and to hunt the new talent to participate in national and international games, the provincial government of PTI embarked upon an extensive reform strategy in sports sector during the last two years in power to strengthen sports at grass root level.
\nThe government as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Minister Mahmood Khan allocated billions of rupees in the financial budgets for sports sector apart from taking pragmatic steps to make KP province as a favored destination and peaceful place for every national and international sports event.
\nAccording to data available with this agency, the provincial government allocated Rs 26 billion during the fiscal budget to ensure provision of stadiums and gymnasiums with appropriate facilities at all divisional headquarters.
\nIn order to promote participation of all segments of the society in sports including men, women, youth, children, senior citizens and physically challenged persons, the Department of Sports appointed a designated Task Force on Sports to design and prepare a comprehensive Provincial Sports Policy in consultation with stakeholders.
\nThis Policy features availability and accessibility of sports facilities to all segments of society including physically challenged persons, females and students of all educational institutions and seminaries with a view to promote KP as a centre of sporting activities and favoured destination and peaceful place for every national and international sports event.
\nAccording to the finance department, Rs. 1581.779 million earmarked for 27 ongoing projects of sports, Rs. 788.501 million for 21 ongoing projects of Tourism and Rs. 788.501 million for Youth Affairs.
\nFor the completion of the work on the Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium Peshawar, the government has allocated Rs 44 million, Rs 33 million earmarked for the ongoing 1000 ground facility, Rs 1.9 billion has been allocated for the establishment of new grounds in different districts and Rs 33 million for the infrastructure development, promotion of tourism sites and developing of roads and other accessibility for the promotion tourism.
\nSimilarly, Rs 1.1 billion would be spent on the KITE program, the projects including exploring tourism potential and the World Bank has also extended financial support to the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
\nFor developing New A-class Category Sports Stadia\u2019s (ground with international standard facilities) at Tank, Kalam, Lakki Marwat, Chitral and Tahkal Peshawar and up gradation of all facilities including cricket ground in Hayatabad Sports Complex the govt has allocated Rs 500 million.
\nAnother silent feature of the sports budget for the year-2020-21 was Rs 830 million allocated for the up gradation of all existing facilities across KP that would benefit and help the Directorate Sports KP for overall promotion of sports in the province.
\nDG Sports Asfandyar Khan Khattak when asked to comment, he said due to various initiatives the females from the province equally participated in the games, adding that for first time that the government introduced the biggest ever U-21 Games wherein 22,000 female and male players participated in 34 male and 21 female games.
\nHe informed that work on the laying of artificial hockey turf in historical Islamia College and laying of Tartan Track (Artificial Athletic Tracks) in Bannu Sports Complex have already kicked off.
\nKhattak further informed that KP government announced handsome amount of Rs 400 million including monthly stipend for those securing and attaining gold, silver, bronze medals.
\nAs part of sport policy to hunt and encourage new talent, in one-year the KP appeared prominently at national and international levels. Schoolboys Humam Ahmad and Hamza Khan won silver medals each in the Under-13 and Under-15 categories in the US Junior Squash Championship held in Boston, USA this year while 15-year old Laiba Ahmad got 6th position in the Girls Under-17 category in the US Junior.
\nSimilarly, Humam and Hamza won silver medals in Pan Malaysian Open and gold medal in British Open Junior respectively. Laiba became the only girl from KP to win two gold medals in the last Quaid-e-Azam Games held in Islamabad.
\nAt the national level games, the athletes of KP for the first time got 15 gold medals, 13 silver and 15 bronze medals in the last National Junior and Youth Athletic Championships held in Lahore and KP was declared winner of the overall trophy in the 72 years history.
\nAt National level 120 players got medals in the 33rd National Games and all unprecedentedly the medalists had been given sports scholarships for the first time, Rs. 30,000 for gold medalist, Rs 20,000 for silver and Rs 10,000 for bronze medalists.
\nThe government also honored those who won international medals with Rs 300,000 for gold medals, Rs 200,000 for silver and Rs 100,000 besides bearing all their travelling, boarding, and lodging expenses.
\nThe female athletes of KP won bronze medals in the 33rd National Games and overall 2nd position in the Games that was certainly an honor looking after the joint efforts of the Directorate of Sports KP, government of KP and KP Olympic Association.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
APP PESHAWAR In order to ensure access to sports facilities to youth of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and to hunt the new talent to participate in national and international games, the provincial government of PTI embarked upon an extensive reform strategy in sports sector during the last two years in power to strengthen sports at grass root […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-139979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n