K-P govt allocates Rs800,000 for skiing

Federation hopes to develop facilities and improve player performance.

KARACHI: In hopes of promoting skiing in Khyber-Paktunkhwa (K-P), the provincial government has given Rs800,000 to the Ski Federation of Pakistan (SFP).

Despite having the natural resources and a very accessible slope at Malam Jabba, K-P has not been able to develop the facilities required.

K-P Ski Association President Matiullah Khan confirmed that the funds will help the skiers in the long run and hopefully bring new talent to the sport.



“We’ve finally received Rs800,000 after SFP President Sohail Gul convinced the K-P governor that we have talent in the province,” Matiullah told The Express Tribune. “K-P has the slopes too, but skiing is a very expensive sport. Even when we visited the schools, it took us time to convince the younger athletes to take up skiing because it isn’t as popular here.

“But we do hope that with the government’s support in K-P, we will be able to improve the performance of our skiers in national championships as well.”

Matiullah said that K-P’s priority will be to train the athletes. He said that at the moment they have eight to 10 quality skiers who can win titles for the province and present the country abroad.

“It is a positive step, and it is mainly because the SFP president and the patron-in-chief really want to develop skiing in the country,” said SFP spokesperson Obaidur Rehman Abbasi while confirming the release of the funds.

Meanwhile, in order to train the athletes, SFP sent teenagers Jumma Mir and Mumtaz Muhammad along with coach Muhammad Qamar to Korea to take part in the dream programme yesterday.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th,  2015.

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