Women athletes face hurdles for want of sports policy implementation

Draft says sports federations annexed with the PSB should have women sports wing

ISLAMABAD: Due to the non-implementation on the sports policy made under the ministry of inter-provincial coordination in 2005, the Pakistani women athletes have been unable to shine in the international arena.

According to the policy draft made with the coordination of provincial and federal government, the sports federations annexed with the Pakistan Sports Board were to have women sports wing, qualified women coach as well different facilities for female athletes. The policy also included the formation of clubs at provincial, district and tehsil level.

Further, the representatives from Pakistan Sports Board, provincial sports boards, the election of district association and election of club, national and provincial Olympic association would contest in the election.

Moreover, the absence of any sports wings in some 20 national federations, except Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan Hockey Federation, has ceased the female athletes to bring home any medals from the international circuit.

A senior official of Pakistan Sports Board said that the female athletes could bring prestige to the country only if the policy was implemented with its full spirit. He added that the policy was made to promote sports at the provincial and federal level however it was sabotaged by a few federations. The steps taken were in the interest of the country and not to pressurize any federation, he added.

He told that it was a worldwide practice to design long-term policies for reaping good results however the sports policy here was made inactive deliberately by some federations.

The officer revealed that the federations were running the affairs, in the absence of the policy, according to their own consent which was caused damage to the players’ future.

The women athletes, requesting anonymity, stressed that Fahmida Mirza, the federal minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination, should immediately embark the national women games while they also said that the non-implementation of policy for the last 15 years had dimmed their future.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2019.