LAHORE: Punjab’s top 200 athletes will receive monthly stipends ranging from Rs30,000 to Rs70,000 under the newly launched Sports Endowment Fund, as announced by provincial sports minister Faisal Khokar during a ceremony on Wednesday.
Athletes will be categorized into three tiers: the platinum category will receive Rs70,000, the gold category Rs50,000, and the silver category Rs30,000. The funds will support 14 sports, including hockey, badminton, swimming, table tennis, volleyball, karate, taekwondo, judo, athletics, weightlifting, squash, boxing, kabaddi, and football.
Faisal Khokar noted that this is the first time Punjab has provided such a significant monthly honorarium to athletes. While a five-billion-rupee Sports Endowment was announced in 2013-14, it never materialized; the scheme has now been relaunched with a revised amount of Rs2 billion. Additionally, 6,000 youths will receive Rs25,000 per month under Punjab’s internship program.
The fund will also establish high-performance training camps, support athlete training, cover injuries, and facilitate participation in international competitions. Furthermore, the monthly stipend for the Emerging category has been increased from Rs10,000 to Rs15,000.
