A grant of more than one billion rupees has been allegedly given to several national sports federations by the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB).
Financial statements for the last five years are available on the PSB’s website. The PSB has been under fire lately for insufficient financing and support, especially with regard to the Pakistan Hockey Federation.
According to the findings, during the time that former cricket captain and sportsman Imran Khan was prime minister, the PSB received the least funding.
Only 25 million rupees were awarded by the PSB in the 2019/2020 fiscal year, during Khan’s administration, as grants for the establishment of training camps and assistance with national and international competition participation.
This sum grew marginally to 42 million rupees in the ensuing fiscal year 2020–2021.
On the other hand, the PSB has substantially expanded its funding during the last two fiscal years, including 2023–2024, allocating a total of almost 920 million rupees to federations.
Approximately the last five years, the Pakistan Amateur Athletics Federation has been the recipient of approximately 100 million rupees in donations. The organization gained recognition for its performance at the Olympics in Paris, mostly due to the gold medal won by javelin thrower Nadeem Arshad.
This sum includes more than 70 million rupees awarded this year, mostly for Arshad’s international event training and preparation in front of the Olympics.
Despite being the national sport, the Pakistan Hockey Federation has long complained about inadequate funding; in the last five years, it has been awarded 103 million rupees in total. The PHF received the maximum award of 56 million rupees last year.
In order to continue operating, many national federations rely on PSB contributions; nevertheless, the International Olympic Committee also provides funding to certain Olympic sports organizations.
Samiullah, a former Olympian in hockey, claimed that it is evident from the PSB budget summary why Pakistan performs poorly in sports other than cricket.
What can you expect, he asked, if you expect our hockey to progress and grow with a total of 100 rupees in five years that aren’t even properly audited or accounted for?
