Monday, Jul 28, 2025 | 02 Safar 1447
Monday, Jul 28, 2025 | 02 Safar 1447
The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has introduced a 70-year upper age limit for office-bearers of national sports federations, cancelled the registrations of three non-compliant bodies, and approved key reforms including new funding regulations and an anti-age fraud policy aimed at protecting young athletes.
The decisions were made at the 34th meeting of the PSB Board, held in Islamabad on Wednesday, and chaired by Advisor to the Prime Minister on Inter-Provincial Coordination, Rana Sanaullah Khan, the board said in a statement.
In a major push for transparency and accountability, the Board approved the Sports Funding Regulations, set the groundwork for a contributory pension fund, and mandated that new federations be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP).
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The Board cancelled the provisional registrations of the Chuckball, Paragliding & Hand Gliding, and Canoeing federations for failing to submit mandatory documentation after affiliation. Conditional registration was granted to the Basketball, Long Range, and Archery federations, with the Archery Federation also directed to verify its election process through PSB.
The PSB also expressed serious displeasure over the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) for its continued failure to provide financial records and funding details.
On the PHF’s potential participation in the FIH Pro League, the Board authorised Rana Sanaullah to take the final decision and communicate with the Prime Minister through a formal letter outlining the federation’s rationale and objectives.
Other key decisions included assigning administrative oversight of futsal to the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and referring the Blind Sports Federation’s case to the Panel of Adjudicators. A subcommittee was formed to assess whether mountaineering should be included as a recognised national sport.
The Board also formally approved an anti-age fraud policy for junior athletes, an initiative led by PSB Director General Muhammad Yasser Pirzada, aimed at ensuring merit-based selection and transparency in youth sports.
Welcoming new Board members, Major General Irfan Arshad and Andleeb Sindhu, Rana Sanaullah said their experience would further enhance sports development. He added that presidents of sports federations would be specially invited to upcoming Board meetings to strengthen engagement.
The PSB also moved to align pension matters with federal government policies as it approved the formation of a contributory pension fund to ease the long-term financial burden on the board.
