The government of Pakistan has significantly decreased the development budget for the sports sector in the fiscal year 2023-2024.
The Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) has been allocated Rs1.9 billion for 14 ongoing and three new sports projects, a decrease of 47% from the previous year’s budget of Rs3.4 billion.
Despite sports having devolved to the provincial governments after the 18th constitutional amendment, the IPC ministry still regulates the sports sector at the federal level. T
he ministry has said that the decrease in the budget is due to “financial constraints.”The new budget allocation includes Rs20 million for a new scheme titled “Revamping and provision of sports facilities at Kashmore”, Rs30 million for 250 mini sports complexes, Rs150 million for National Games, Rs103 million for building and repairing roads at the Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad, Rs120 million for setting up a Bio Mechanical Lab, Rs100 million for hiring foreign coaches, and Rs98 million for laving a synthetic athletic track and football ground at the Sports Centre Karachi.
The decrease in the sports budget has been met with criticism from sports enthusiasts and athletes. They have said that the reduction in funding will hamper the development of sports in Pakistan and make it difficult for athletes to compete at the international level.
The IPC ministry has said that it is committed to promoting sports in Pakistan and that it will use the available resources to the best of its ability. However, it remains to be seen how the ministry will be able to achieve its goals with a significantly reduced budget.