After a wait of over four decades, Pakistan is finally set to have its very first sports university, with the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) seeking advice from the Patiala Sports Institute in India and a few universities in Australia.
The university will be a part of the PSB Complex in Islamabad, and PSB director-general Akhtar Nawaz Ganjera held a meeting with its three-member committee this week in order to contemplate on hiring consultants for the ambitious project and to expedite the matter.
PSB rehabilitation and treatment deputy director-general Dr Waqar Ahmed believes that the project will benefit sports in the country and help train professional coaches and athletes.
Focusing on fitness
The first phase of the PSB project includes a Biometric Centre working alongside the already functional Sports Medicine Centre, after which the sports board will focus on the university.
“It is certainly a big project,” Ahmed, who is also a part of the three-member committee, told The Express Tribune. “We will be visiting the Patiala University first. We still have to chalk out the budget, but the work has started and we are committed to the university. So far we have the example of the Sports Medical Centre that we started four years ago. Before this, there was no concept of sports medicine in Pakistan.”
Ahmed, who already runs the Sports Medicine Centre and will be in charge of the Biometric Centre too, was quick to highlight the importance of the facility. “The Biometric Centre is also under-construction. You see these facilities are very important, if we would have a Biometric Centre, the athletes wouldn’t have to go to Australia,” he said. “For example, Saeed Ajmal’s bowling action can be examined here in Pakistan too.”
The committee member further added that Rs20 million were spent on the medical and biometric centre last year, while Rs40 million were also allotted for the project.
For players and coaches
“Our aim is to firstly produce quality coaches, who can groom the talent and take a good athlete and make him into a great one,” said Ahmed. “The biometric centre will help the coaches and the players to better their records and understand their ability on the field.”
The official confirmed that the courses might begin with sports such as hockey and athletics. “The idea of this university has been around for four to five decades but it never seemed to substantiate into something more tangible,” he added.
Away from politics
Local athletics and netball coach Qudsia Raja praised the idea of a sports university is attractive and it will encourage sports fraternity but warned against its politicising. “We need a sports university in order to compete internationally standards,” she said. “However, this institute should be independent of politics. I hope that the PSB can run this institute purely on merit and with transparency.”
Published in The Express Tribune, November 2nd, 2014.
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