Wapda Endowment Fund for sports – a source of financial support for talented players in Sports & Education

PESHAWAR, Jan 02 (APP):Wapda’s vision focused under leadership of Shakeel Durani, former Chairman WAPDA, is to arrange regular
source of financing to provide financial support for sports cum education to
the talented youth together with an ultimate aim to enhance the medals tally of
Pakistan in International competitions.
This scheme was launched in 2010 and so far 174
youngsters in 11 sports disciplines have been enrolled during 1st, 2nd and 3rd
intake. WAPDA provide Education and Training Allowance Rs. 5000 (Rs.2000 for
education fee) and Rs.3000 for diet and cost for training and coaching
facilities at their doorstep.
Based on experience of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd intake, the
scheme is now being focused on athletics, being the base of all sports and
giving a transparent, fair, measurable performance target and evaluation as
well as setting performance goals.
WAPDA Sports Board was established in 1960 for promotion
of sports in WAPDA with ultimate goal to uplift the National sports. Like its
manifesto now there are thousands of players associated with FATA among them
many were excelled at national and international levels.
Like Wapda Sports Board contribution in the Sports of
Pakistan, the WEF for Sports has been providing equal opportunity to all areas
of Pakistan and for boys and girls players who show their talent.
Being an affiliated and active unit of Pakistan Olympic
Association (POA) since 1984, Wapda players have scorers of performances in all
37 National sports disciplines and has been top slot winner in 33 disciplines
and always eager to take up more sports.
Currently WSB managing 65 men and women sports
disciplines consisting more than 2200 sports persons while WEF for Sports have
been contributing Rs. 5000 to more than 100 talented players who were
short-listed in various discipline under a wide range of trials all across
Pakistan.
The short-listed talented boys and girls excelled at
international level and only in 2017 they have won ;five international medals
in games like karate, weightlifting, squash and wrestling besides 13 national
gold medals in National Junior and National Senior Championships.
Talking to APP, international squash player Asad Ullah,
gold medalist of the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Games in Women Squash Individual
event Laiba Ijaz, Athlete Paras Ahmad and Waseem Khan termed the financial
support of WEF for Sports as a key to their success.
“Our parents have less burdens on their shoulders as far
as our expenditure on sports is concerned,” they added. “Like us there are
players in other towns and cities of Pakistan who are getting benefit from that
financial support and certainly we all could give due attention to our future
in sports,” they added.
They also requested the Chairman Wapda to increase the
number of beneficiaries besides increasing into the currently financial
support.
When contacted a former national footballer Salahuddin informed
that the objectives of the WEF is to promote and popularize and support
upcoming talent between the ages from 12-18 years old.
The objected of WEF is to facilitate upcoming boys and
girls with qualified coaching and training in the light of their respective
Games and above all to asses and evaluate their performances under WEF program
through holding annual-based open trials under the supervised of yesterday
heroes.
Former World Champion Qamar Zaman also lauded Wapda for
introducing WEF for talented boys and girls in sports at grassroots level and
termed the financial support as vital for enhancing Pakistan’s medal
prospective in sports. “It is very good support for the talented players at
grassroots level because everyone come through open trials and can avail the
benefit through that schemes,” Qamar Zaman added. Introducing such like program
will go a long way as far as Wapda role in Pakistan Sports is concerned, he
remarked.