PESHAWAR, July 22: Women’s Sports Directorate, established last year to promote and facilitate sportswomen in NWFP is in dire need of a separate gymnasium for women athletes. Hajra, member of the NWFP women cricket team, said that the provincial government had established a separate directorate but not provided it with facilities to encourage women players.

Hajra complained that there was not a single gymnasium exclusively for female athletes as due to cultural and social limitations and restrictions they could not practice sports in open.

The female athletes have to take special permission if they want to use any hall or gymnasium of Qayyum Stadium, Peshawar, as all the halls are used by male players also.

The officials complained of lack of funds but it was for the second time that astro turf was spread in the Lala Ayub Hockey stadium and a swimming pool in the Peshawar sports complex was also available for male sportsmen but there was not a single hall or gymnasium for women players where they could go for practice, Hajra observed.

The Women’s Sports Directorate, headed by a directoress was provided with one coach after repeated requests for a female coach, the players said.

Rasheeda Ghaznavi, the directress, said that the directorate was trying hard to promote sports among women and encourage female players.

She acknowledged difficulties faced by female athletes and said that an amount of rupees one million was allocated in the current financial year for the promotion of women sports.