By Abdul Ghani

The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has constituted a Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) to review, approve and monitor the implementation of the Long-Term Athlete Development Program (LTADP) being prepared by the National Sports Federations (NSFs).

According to documents available with Wealth Pakistan, the committee has been constituted as part of the PSB’s new initiative to shift Pakistan’s sports development system from short-term, activity-based planning to structured, long-term, and results-oriented athlete development.

The JMC comprises the Director General of the Pakistan Sports Board, the President of the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA), and the President/Secretary of the respective sports federation. The committee will examine the development plans submitted by federations, and approve and monitor their implementation.

The PSB Board launched the LTADP at its 36th meeting held on March 31, 2026, and circulated it to sports federations on April 2, 2026.

The programme aims to establish a structured pathway for athletes from grassroots identification and development to elite-level performance, with succession planning to ensure continuous replenishment of national teams.

Under the framework, sports federations are expected to improve coaching standards through certification, refresher courses, foreign exposure, and adoption of modern training methodologies. The programme also includes the development of referees, judges and technical officials in line with international standards.

The LTADP also calls for the development of a national competition calendar to give athletes regular competitive opportunities and support their progression.

A major component of the programme is integration of sports science, including biomechanics, physiotherapy, psychology, nutrition and performance analysis, into athlete training and development.

The framework also seeks stronger governance and professional management within federations through improved administrative systems, financial controls, data management and professional staffing.

For international competitions, the programme envisages rationalising participation based on ranking improvement, qualification requirements and performance benchmarking.

The PSB organised a workshop on LTADP on June 30, 2026, with participation from National Sports Federations and Provincial Sports Boards. The workshop aimed to guide federations in preparing their long-term development plans.

Following the workshop, federations have been developing their respective plans for submission to the JMC.

However, implementation remains at an early stage. According to the document, only 15 out of 43 National Sports Federations have submitted their plans so far, while the remaining federations are still preparing their programmes.

The plans, already received by the PSB, have been shared with the POA President for information and scheduling of meetings before their consideration by the JMC.

Credit: INP-WealthPk