Sports bodies ponder partnership with government
KARACHI: Pakistan’s sports have been passing through the most difficult phase in recent years. Due to no proper system in place following devolution way back in 2010 through the 18th Amendment, there are manifold intricacies in the system which have chocked the overall sports growth.
For the last few years national federations have been badly suffering due to lack of money as the federal government has lost its capability to run the sports at the central level. Despite devolution Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) was protected and not devolved but its powers were reduced.
On Friday almost no increase was given in the proposed federal budget of the PSB for its non-development sector which has added to the hopeless situation of the national federations. In order to seek an alternative way in this scenario some federations have prepared their mind to enter into a public-private partnership with the government.
The senior officials of these federations say that the state should give them infrastructure and federations would develop them through various donors and sponsorships. And some percentage of the earning would be handed over regularly to the PSB and the rest would be spent on the promotion of the respective sports disciplines and athletes development. “Yes we are ready,” a senior official of a federation told ‘The News’.
“The Prime Minister Imran Khan had already given a green signal but the IPC Minister Dr Fehmida Mirza does not want to sit with us,” the official said. “It would be a sort of an association which will benefit the PSB also and federations will not further remain dependent on the federal government budget,” the official said.
“For example if the halls of the Pakistan Sports Complex Islamabad are handed over to the federations then they will be in a very good position to develop them and turn them into a solid international level facilities. This would also help Pakistan organise international events like South Asian Games and even Asian Championships in the most befitting way,” a federation official said.An influential official of a big federation said that it is an innovative idea. “This is an innovative idea and such private-public partnerships’ precedents exist in the world and is workable. The government has land and sports infrastructure everywhere and this step can bring a marked improvement in our sports which has never been priority of the government,” the official said.
“Look, the Friday’s budget allocation speaks how light state is taking the sports sector. Truly speaking, sports are alive in Pakistan through the existence of some people with passion in federations, POA, media, clubs and departments besides coaches and athletes. State is not contributing to the sports development the way it should,” the official said. Some federations are also putting their heads together to meet the PM Imran Khan to discuss with his the public-private partnership deal if Dr Fehmida Mirza did not listen to them and refused to sit with them.
Article source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/672389-sports-bodies-ponder-partnership-with-government