It is the responsibility of the national sports federations concerned to induct talented players in national teams, Minister of state for Inter-provincial Co-ordination Malik Azmat Khan informed the National Assembly on Thursday. Malik Azmat said that the Federations had their Selection Committees and new players were inducted in teams on the basis of their performance in domestic tournaments, adding that players' performance in national training camps was also being monitored.
The government's role was to support efforts of the national sports federations. He said that Pakistan Football Federation, Pakistan Hockey Federation and Pakistan Cricket Board were responsible for selecting new players. However, the federal government was providing all possible assistance in the shape of annual and special grants to PFF and PHF. Annual grants were meant for holding mandatory annual championships besides meeting as day-to-day expenses of the federations. Special Grants were released for participation of Pakistan sports teams in international tournaments at home and abroad.
Each year, National Hockey Championships of various age groups were organised with teams from provinces, Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, Fata, Gilgit-Baltistan taking part in these events, adding that talented players were also picked from affiliated Departments by a team of selectors formed by the PHF consisting of former Olympians.
The Pakistan Hockey Federation has set up 19 hockey academies across the country. The PCB also ran a talent hunt program in all major cities throughout the country. Short-listed players were then given advanced coaching at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. Many players selected through this program had represented the country at various levels. He said that PCB also conducted annual tournaments at district and regional levels for under-19 cricketers, where national selectors picked players to be noticed.