ISLAMABAD
\nPakistan Sports Board (PSB) on Friday organized a cash award ceremony to honour the country\u2019s medal-winning athletes and coaches, in recognition of their outstanding performances at international competitions.
\nAs many as 26 athletes and coaches received cash awards during the ceremony held at a local hotel. Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah was the chief guest, while Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Secretary Moinuddin Wani, PSB Director General Muhammad Yasir Pirzada, Pakistan Squash Federation General Secretary Air Commodore (R) Amir Nawaz, Pakistan Taekwondo Federation President Col (R) Raja Waseem Ahmed and other officials also attended the event.
\nSpeaking on the occasion, Rana Sanaullah announced that the government had increased cash prizes for athletes who bring honour to the country at the international level. He said the initiative aimed to encourage talented youth to excel in sports and represent Pakistan with pride.
\nThe athletes who received awards had won medals in the 22nd Asian Junior Squash Team Championship held in Hong Kong in February, the WSF World U23 Individual Squash Championship held in Karachi in April, and the 7th Asian Open Taekwondo Championship (G-2) organized in Islamabad in February.
\nBronze medalists of the Asian Junior Squash Team Championship \u2014 Anas Ali Shah, Abdullah Nawaz, Sakhiuallah Tareen and Noman \u2014 received Rs 375,000 each, while their coach Faheem Gul and assistant coach Faraz Muhammad were given Rs 125,000 each.
\nNoor Zaman, who clinched the gold medal in the World U23 Individual Squash Championship, was awarded Rs 5 million. His coach Faheem Gul, assistant coach Faraz Muhammad and physical trainer were each awarded Rs 833,333.
\nFrom the Asian Open Taekwondo Championship, gold medalist Haroon Khan received Rs 2 million, while silver medalists Shahzaib Khan, Abubakar Siddique, Noman Khan, Mazhar Abbas, Hamzah Omar Saeed and Fateemaah Tuz Zahraa were each awarded Rs 1 million. Bronze medalists Ghulam Muhammad, Muhammad Tayab, Hussain Anjum, Muhammad Iqbal and Faizan Junaid received Rs 500,000 each.
\nCoaching staff Yousaf Karami, Syed Sadaqat Hussain, Ghazanfar Ali and Ms Najia Rasool were each given Rs 250,000. A total of Rs 20.75 million was distributed among the medal-winning players and coaches.
\nRana Sanaullah highlighted that under the Prime Minister\u2019s directives, several measures had been taken to promote sports in the country, including the upgradation of facilities and enhancement of cash incentives for athletes competing at international, national and regional levels.
\nHe also referred to the observance of Youm-e-Tashakur across the country on May 16, paying tribute to the Armed Forces and the resilient people of Pakistan, and expressed gratitude to Almighty Allah for the nation\u2019s strength and unity. Speaking on the occasion, PSB Director General Muhammad Yasir Pirzada said the initiative to award cash prizes was a practical step towards implementing the government\u2019s vision to honour the country\u2019s sports heroes. He said such recognition would continue in the future to boost the morale of young athletes and encourage them to strive for excellence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) on Friday organized a cash award ceremony to honour the country\u2019s medal-winning athletes and coaches, in recognition of their outstanding performances at international competitions. As many as 26 athletes and coaches received cash awards during the ceremony held at a local hotel. Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":384820,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-479050","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n