ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Inter-provincial Coordination (IPC) Dr Fehmida Mirza on Friday launched the Elite Pool project, a data bank for keeping the record of upcoming Pakistani athletes.

The minister, while inaugurating PSB’s Elite Pool during a ceremony at the Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad, Dr Fehmida also virtually inaugurated a boxing gymnasium in Karachi and a hockey turf in Quetta.

According to PSB officials, the Elite Pool will have the data of around 300 athletes of U-19 age category while the Super Elite Pool will contain the record of senior players.

“The related data has been collected which will be uploaded on PSB website at a special portal soon,” they added.

According to the officials, the Elite Pool Portal which is a centralised database of players, was developed to identify and scout players of different disciplines. The database enables the government to monitor the performance of players and find them the right opportunities for their growth.

According to the PSB, the boxing gymnasium which had been in the pipeline since 2004, was made operational mainly due to personal attention given by the IPC minister. “The boxing gymnasium is a gift to the youth of the Liyari and will help groom boxing talent of the area,” said a statement issued by the IPC.

It said that hockey stadiums throughout the country are being revamped and new turfs are being laid out to help the sport regain its past glory.

The statement said that seven cities were chosen to upgrade their turfs on a priority basis.

Speaking on the occasion, the IPC minister also said that through tireless efforts “we are now closer” to getting FIFA membership restored.

“Both FIFA and the AFC have appreciated the role of Pakistan government. Our youth deserves to play at international level and we will help the Normalisation Committee conduct transparent elections of the Pakistan Football Federation,” she said.

The IPC minister also hoped that next year’s South Asian Games, to be hosted by Pakistan, would be a success

“The South Asian Games 2023 will be hosted by Pakistan in a befitting manner. In this regard, I have held meetings with the [sports] federations to chart a way forward which would deliver success for all,” the IPC minister remarked.

Published in Dawn, April 2nd, 2022