Punjab launched 19 free Chief Minister Sports Academies in Lahore, marking the first program of its kind in the province’s history.
Punjab Minister for Sports Faisal Ayub Khokhar inaugurated the academies at a ceremony attended by senior officials, along with more than 2,000 male and female athletes and their parents.
The academies will provide year-round free training to boys and girls aged between 6 and 19. More than 2,500 young athletes have already been registered for the program.
According to Faisal Khokhar, the initiative has been launched under the vision of the Chief Minister of Punjab Maryan Nawaz Sharif to identify and develop future sports champions.
He said the academies will offer structured training under experienced coaches, modern coaching methods, and access to high-quality sports facilities.
The program will cover 19 sports disciplines, including cricket, football, hockey, basketball, badminton, tennis, boxing, wrestling, swimming, table tennis, karate, taekwondo, archery, squash, wushu, ju-jitsu, athletics, laser run, and kabaddi.
Khokhar said the project will initially be implemented in Lahore in its first phase, with plans to expand it to district and divisional levels across Punjab in the next phases.
DG Sports Punjab Tariq Qureshi said the academies are following the China model, with the first objective being to bring young people into sports grounds before grooming them for international sports events.
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