PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa sports department is working on a plan to provide free education to players across the province to promote sports activities.

It is also establishing 47 playgrounds in the province on emergency basis.

This was disclosed by Director General (Sports) Mian Adil Iqbal during a briefing to sports secretary Azam Khan here on Monday.

On the occasion, the secretarysaid the department was committed to promoting sports in every nook and corner of the province to engage youths in healthy and positive activities and save them from falling into hands of the militants and anti-social elements.

The director general (sports) said the Directorate General of Sports would sign a memorandum of understanding with the elementary and secondary education department for acquiring and developing playgrounds in schools and colleges.

He said after the signing of MoU, the playgrounds at educational institutions would be made available to teams and clubs of various games at subsidised fee after teaching hours.

Mian Adil said the directorate had purchased Rs21.5 million worth of equipment of differentsports and transferred to the respective district sports officers and deputy commissioners for distribution to players.

He said the quality of sports equipment was checked by a committee headed by squash legend Qamar Zaman.

The director general (sports) said talent hunt programmes would be launched across the province to pick players of squash, cricket, football, hockey, tennis and other games.

He said the sports directorate would provide sports kits to the selected players and ensure their rigorous training by sports legends.

Mian Adul said the directorate was planning to sponsor education of outstanding players of various games.

`This is a long-term project, which will help motivate sports-men to play games and get quality education,` he said.

The director general said most sportsman were too poor to afford to play and study simultaneously.

He said for the first time, players from Khyber Pakhtunl(hwa outclassed those from Punjab and other provinces in all national games.

Mian Adil said of the 11 national competitions, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa sportsmen won seven first positions and three second positions.

About the cricket talent hunt programme, he said 6,000 students participated in the event and 48 of them were selected in the first phase.

He said the selected players were imparted training by cricket legends, including Wajahatullah Wasti.