Punjab launches Sports Endowment Fund

LAHORE: Punjab’s top 200 athletes will receive monthly stipends ranging from Rs70,000 to Rs30,000 in three categories under the Sports Endowment Fund, provincial sports minister Faisal Khokar announced in a ceremony on Wednesday.

The platinum category will receive Rs70,000, gold Rs50,000 and silver Rs30,000.

The funds will support 14 sports, including hockey, badminton, swimming, table tennis, volleyball, karate, taekwondo, judo, athletics, weightlifting, squash, boxing, kabaddi and football.

Faisal highlighted that this is the first time Punjab has offered such a substantial monthly honorarium to athletes.

Although the government announced a five-billion-rupee Sports Endowment in 2013-14, the scheme never materialised. Now they have launched the scheme again with a reduced amount of Rs2 billion. Additionally, 6,000 youths will receive Rs25,000 per month under the Punjab government’s internship program.

The fund will also establish high-performance training camps and provide support for athletes’ training, injuries, and international competition participation. Moreover, the monthly stipend for the Emerging category has been increased from Rs10,000 to Rs15,000.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2024