Sports facilities needed to bring Baloch into mainstream: BSB

DG says will meet new government for revamping deteriorated sports facilities

ISLAMABAD: Expressing dismay over poor sports infrastructure, the provincial social wizards and sports figures have called for provision of more extended facilities to make the younger generation healthy and bring them into the country's mainstream.

Balochistan Sports Board (BSB) director general told APP the provincial government had ignored the department in the past. “We have planned to discuss issues with the new government for revamping the overall deteriorated sports facilities in the province,” he added.



Without a world class sports academy and any coaching centre the province was still honoured to produce Nargis, who brought laurels to the country by winning a bronze medal in the Asian Games, he remarked.

He said playgrounds in Balochistan were deserted due to non-maintenance for which sufficient financial funding was required.
To a question, he said, they were providing full support to the young generation of Balochistan so they could exhibit their abilities to the world.



Bismillah Khan, a first-class cricketer, said that the province had equal potential and talented youngsters as other provinces.
Terming shortage of sports grounds a main hurdle, he said that it should be addressed on a war footing to encourage youngsters towards these healthy activities.

Highlighting the BSB lethargic approach towards promotion of sports in Balochistan, he said, “It appears that the board was in a deep slumber as it had not held any major sports activity for the last couple of years. It also failed to encourage youth towards sports.”



Bismillah said, "A sportsman needs proper training, institutions and grounds that cannot be afforded by a Balochistan dweller. Unlike education, games require resources to compete with rivals," he remarked.

He regretted that last year the Pakistan Sports Board issued a grant of Rs200 million to establish a world class cricket academy in Quetta, but the project could not see the light of day due to incompetency of the authorities.

A sportswoman, seeking anonymity, lauded the efforts of the authorities for education of girls in the province, urging to establish at least one ground for the females so they could take part in extracurricular activities apart from curricular ones.



She also regretted that there was not a single place where they could play some sort of games.

Sharing example of Nargis Hameedullah, first woman athlete from Balochistan who won the bronze medal in the Asian Games, she said, “Nargis set an example for other girls of Balochistan to follow.
"The province can produce more Nargises if its girls are given equal opportunities," she added.

Meanwhile, BSB Assistant Director Muhammad Asif Lango informed that the construction of sports ground in 15 districts was also under process, adding that they were preparing for huge sports-related activities in connection with the celebration of September 6 (Defence Day of Pakistan).