PESHAWAR, April 11: The NWFP government has decided to dedicate the Hayatabad Sports Complex to exclusively women games, sports minister Syed Aqil Shah announced on Thursday.

“During the past five-years, the women sports has suffered a great deal. Now, we are giving priority to promote women sports at the provincial as well as district level,” Aqil revealed in a Meet-the-Press programme at the Sarhad Sports Writers Association in the press club on Thursday.

Aqil, who is also chairman NWFP Olympic Committee, said that directorate of women sports will be shifted to Hayatabad Sports Complex and talent hunt would be started at the grass root level. Women sports has assumed immense significance and now the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided to refuse those teams of any country which donot feature women athletes.

“The sports affairs would be put at the disposal of the elected associations to give impetus to the activities at the school, college and university level to groom both girls and boys,” added Aqil Shah. “Inter-schools tournaments would be held

He disclosed that the provincial government had decided to lay two astro turfs at the University of Peshawar, one each at the Islamia College University and Edwards College Peshawar.

He assured that efforts will be made to include Fata, Northern Areas, Islamabad and the AJK as separate entities in the inter-provincial games to be held in Peshawar in November. National Games would also take place in the city next year.

He added that the Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium was being handed over to the Pakistan Cricket Board on a five-year lease.

The sports minister informed that Pak-Afghania Games on the pattern of SAF Games would be held in Peshawar later this year and a Pakistan-Afghanistan cycle race will be organized from Peshawar to Kabul.