KARACHI: Veteran international athlete and coach Mohammad Talib has called upon the government to establish Athletic Fitness Schools (AFS’s) in every locality across the country in order to change the culture and develop a healthy nation.

“It is need of the hour to create more and more AFS’s in all nook and corner to reach the masses and help arrest decline,” the elderly athlete said while inaugurating a 25-day 38th free athletics coaching camp for boys and girls at the Abdul Sattar Edhi Hockey Stadium on Tuesday.

Elaborating the idea he said athletics is the mother of sports and the centre he had established way back in 1977 should be taken as a role model.

Besides offering his honorary services he said senior athletes in every locality should be involved to groom the youngsters.

Committees comprising men’s and women’s of the localities should be formed to run it with the support of government, he added.

He stressed that his theory of creating more and mores AFS is different then that of the Gym.

Under the slogan of ‘be physically fit the nation needs it’ the AFS is in its fifth decade and has produced a large number of athletes who have shone at home and abroad.

Talib proudly said that 11 men’s and 15 women’s trained by him have donned Pakistan colour including South Asian sprint queen Naseem Hameed.

The former Customs Preventive Officer disclosed how he’d equipped the AFS with gadgets required for athletics besides weight training equipments.

He claimed that no individual or private club can match collection of his athletic material.

He added that hockey teams of Malaysia, Oman and Egypt have also trained at his school during the Air Marshal Nur Khan and Brig Atif era.

Meanwhile, the venue was bustling with activity as young participants showed their eagerness to learn basics of fitness from founder of the school and and senior coaches.

The camp concludes on July 5.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2019