PESHAWAR, Jan 27: National table tennis stars urged the government introduce the game at school level and provide facilities to the players to pull the sport out of its present declining state.

Speaking at "Meet the Press" programme organized byNWFP Sports Writers Association on Tuesday at the Khyber College of Management and Sciences, national champions Farjad Saif, Asif Qureshi and Ghazala Roohi were unanimous in their view that the game badly needed official patronage.

Thirteen times national champion Farjad blamed the officials concerned for the deplorable condition of table tennis. He compared the facilities at Pakistani players' disposal to those available to Indian, German andMaldive players who he said were able to get international exposure only because their governments took interest in promotion of the game.

"We are unable to take part in international tournaments due to financial problems. ... money and sponsors are not forthcoming," he complained. If the government was serious, it should provide facilities at schools for students to play table tennis, as the gamewas increasingly becomingexpensive, he urged.

Besides, elsewhere the game is being played over mat, which in Pakistan is still non-existent, he added. Asif stressed on the government to make professional approachtowards the game and give players jobs.

Ghazala, five times national champion also complained about lack of facilities, a problem she said was largely responsible for youngsters' fast declining interest in the game.

"Lack of coaching for women is another problem, which has been forcing them to shun table tennis and instead play other games," Ghazala also complained that there was not a single woman coach in the country.