ISLAMABAD: Advisor to Prime Minister on Sports and Tourism, Awn Chaudry on Sunday said that restoration of Departmental Sports by Prime of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif is a big step towards the future of youth in the country as it will bring them in mainstream sports besides polishing their talent.

Recently, in a ceremony held in honor of athletes who won medals in the Commonwealth games and Islamic Solidarity Games, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered all government departments to restore their sports department (departmental sports) which the former Prime Minister Imran Khan had banned creating uncertainty and disappointment among the young sportsmen, Awn Chaudry said adding the ban deprived the youth of the healthier activities and continuing their passion as profession.

The medal winning athletes proved that Pakistani youth is full of talent and all they need is the support which is restored by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to project soft image of the country as well as opening doors of new opportunities for the young players.

The ban on departmental sports almost three years back had left hundreds of sportsmen jobless and resulted in closing down of sports sections of major departments, corporations and autonomous bodies that were serving as grooming grounds for athletes resulting in dearth of emerging talent.

Athletes winning medals were given cash incentives according to laid down policy. The gold medal winners at the Commonwealth Games, Arshad Nadeem and Nooh Butt, were given Rs5 million each with Inam Butt and Zaman Anwar receiving Rs2 million each for winning silver medals. All five athletes including three wrestlers, one judoka and one para table tennis player received Rs 1 million each for winning bronze medals. Arshad Nadeem also received an extra Rs1 million for winning gold at Islamic Games.

Later, felicitating the athletes, the Advisor to PM said the athletes bringing laurels for the country in Commonwealth games and Islamic Solidarity games, made the nation proud and blessed Pakistan with good news in the time of uncertainty, floods and climate change in the country. He appealed the nation to come forward in this hard time for the flood victims and make collective efforts for taking Pakistan out of the crisis.