Pakistan Sports Board boosts athlete recognition and sports funding in major initiative

In a significant step toward strengthening sports development, the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) launched a wide-reaching initiative this week that combined athlete recognition with expanded sports funding to multiple federations. The move is being viewed as one of the most comprehensive boosts to national sports in recent years.

Held in Islamabad, the awards ceremony was attended by Advisor to the Prime Minister on Inter-Provincial Coordination Rana Sanaullah, Federal Secretary Mohiuddin Wani, and DG PSB Muhammad Yasir Pirzada.

Pakistan Sports Board sports funding and athlete awards:

• Arshad Nadeem, gold medalist in javelin throw, received Rs. 2 million, while his coach Salman Iqbal Butt received Rs. 600,000.

  
  

• Snooker players Ahsan Ramzan and Muhammad Asif were awarded Rs. 500,000 each, while Muhammad Naseem Akhtar received Rs. 100,000.

  
  

• Table tennis star Abdal Muhammad Khan received Rs. 250,000 for his U-15 singles silver medal, and Rs. 187,500 (alongside Zunaira Khan) for the mixed doubles silver.

  
  

• U-15 and U-19 table tennis team members were awarded Rs. 75,000 each, including Noor Khan, Taha Bilal, Abu Huraira, Attaul Manan, and Moosa Asif.

Special Olympics Honorees:

Athletes who competed in the World Winter Games were also recognized for their inspiring performances:

Abdul Saboor Ahmad received Rs. 250,000 for a 400m Snowshoeing gold and Rs. 100,000 for a 200m bronze.

Muhammad Afaq Khan, Muhammad Moazzam Iqbal, and Muneeb ur Rehman (who secured two golds in 50m and 100m skiing) were awarded Rs. 250,000 each.

Relay team members, including Ali Raza, Minahil, Raveena Qurban, Iqra Akram, Shah Galoon Hayat, and Tabassum, received Rs. 150,000 each.

Sports Federation Grants:

As part of its annual and special grant program, the PSB awarded a total of Rs. 63.9 million to 22 sports federations, broken down as follows:

• Athletics Federation of Pakistan: Rs. 10 million

  
  

• Pakistan Bodybuilding Federation: Rs. 2.5 million

  
  

• Pakistan Handball Federation: Rs. 5 million

  
  

• Pakistan Kabaddi Federation: Rs. 3 million

  
  

• National Rifle Association: Rs. 7 million (Rs. 2M annual, Rs. 5M special)

  
  

• Pakistan Squash Federation: Rs. 5 million

  
  

• Pakistan Volleyball Federation: Rs. 5 million

  
  

• Pakistan Wrestling Federation: Rs. 3 million

  
  

• Pakistan Table Tennis & Swimming Federations: Rs. 2.25 million each

Alpine Club, Taekwondo, Tennis, Wushu, Badminton, Rugby, Sailing, Judo, Ju-Jitsu, and Karate Federations also received grants ranging between Rs. 1 million to Rs. 3 million.

In total, the board disbursed Rs. 32.9 million as annual grants and Rs. 31 million in special support.

This initiative reaffirms the government’s commitment to investing in sports development, ensuring athletes are rewarded for their achievements and federations are empowered to groom future talent.