In a country where sporting dreams often fade before they ever begin, the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) has taken a rare, significant step forward. In a high-level meeting this week chaired by Secretary IPC Mohyuddin Wani, the ministry formally decided to establish sports facilities in Islamabad’s public schools, marking a potential turning point in how Pakistan develops young athletes.
The gathering brought together key stakeholders—representatives from the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, and the Inter-Board Coordination Commission—in what is being seen as a major push to stitch sports back into the fabric of academic life.
The timing of this initiative is no accident. Despite boasting a population of over 240 million, Pakistan remains a modest player in the global sporting arena. Outside cricket, the medal count in major international events remains thin.
For years, Pakistan’s sports ecosystem has been top-heavy—relying on rare, raw talents who break through despite the system, not because of it. School-level sport has all but disappeared, replaced by occasional funfair-style galas that prioritize spectacle over sustained skill development.
Even cricket, Pakistan’s national obsession, isn’t immune to the rot. Standards are slipping at the junior level. The Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) newly launched talent hunt program—designed to unearth cricketers from schools and colleges—has run into a tepid response in Islamabad.
“We want to promote sports, foster a culture of physical education, and encourage healthy lifestyles among students,” Secretary IPC Mohyuddin Wani said after the meeting.
IPC, has already established itself into the lifeblood of sporting structures in Pakistan, including having a stronghold on the PSB.
Among the most consequential decisions was the lifting of invisible restrictions on the use of Pakistan Sports Complex facilities, making elite infrastructure available to school-level athletes. In addition, the IPC has directed the PSB to collaborate with educational boards and develop a sports activity timetable specifically for Islamabad schools.
For the first time in years, the goal is clear: create a competitive ecosystem where schoolboys and schoolgirls train, compete, and improve within a structured calendar—not just once a year at an annual sports day, but as a regular part of their educational journey.
If implemented with the sincerity it demands, this decision by the IPC could eventually reshape how Pakistan identifies, develops, and champions its future athletes—not through chance, but through a system.