The federal government of Pakistan is undertaking a major overhaul of its sporting infrastructure as it seeks to revive its sagging sports standards and update the administrative aspect. The Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) has developed the long awaited National Sports Policy 2026 and is seeking final input from national sport federations.
This proposed policy will completely replace the outdated 2005 framework. Its goal is to resolve decades of administrative hassles between government sport boards and federations, and to create a clear and sustainable development pathway for athletes.
Autonomy and Accountability for Sports Federations
One fundamental feature of the new policy framework is to provide operational autonomy to National Sports Federations (NSFs) and Pakistan Olympic Association (POA). The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and the federations have always been involved in several conflicts regarding tenure and administrative control of federations that have been stumbling blocks in the way and have often led to suspension notices from international organizations.
In line with the National Sports Policy 2026:
All sports federations will be given total autonomy to run with the full respect of international rules and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Charter.
There will be more autonomy, but with stronger mechanisms of performance-based accountability.
The IPC Ministry will review each federation’s performance quarterly, and submit annual evaluation reports directly to the Council of Common Interests (CCI) and the Federal Cabinet.
The National Sports Development Fund
The biggest hurdle for Pakistani athletes to be part of the international competition is financial instability. Structurally addressing this challenge, the 2026 policy suggests the establishment of a National Sports Development Fund.
This fund will aggregate funds from various and diverse sources:
Provide strategic funding allocations from federal and provincial governments.
Corporate sponsorships, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and centralised media rights administration.
Provision of minimum level of sports infrastructure requirement through mandatory legislation on allocation of at least 2% of the provinces Annual Development Programme (ADP).
MAJOR DEVELOPMENT IN PAKISTAN SPORTS.
— Faizan Lakhani (@faizanlakhani) May 29, 2026
Pakistan is set for a major reset in sports governance as the federal govt moves ahead with the proposed National Sports Policy 2026, after nearly two decades, aiming to overhaul how sport is run in the country. The draft proposes sweeping… pic.twitter.com/7Jvs9lB04E
Redefining Federal and Provincial Roles Under the 18th Amendment
In 2010, sports was declared a devolved provincial matter (18th Constitutional Amendment). This constitutional division is recognized formally by the new sports policy, which places the function of international representation, macro-level strategic funding and national coordination with the federal level.
A National Sports Coordination Council will be established to fill in gaps and to settle in-house conflicts. This council will convene federal and provincial ministers, as well as Higher Education Commission (HEC) representatives, individual sports federations and the POA and PSB.
| Core Pillars | Proposed Implementation |
| Governance & Autonomy | Full operational independence for sports federations, strictly tied to mandatory quarterly audits to ensure transparency. |
| Athlete Welfare Systems | Introduction of formal employment contracts, steady monthly stipends, comprehensive medical cover, and retirement pensions. |
| Grassroots & Digitalization | Mandatory talent pathways integrated into schools and colleges, backed by a centralized National Digital Database to track athlete progress. |
Grassroots Talent Pathways and Comprehensive Athlete Welfare
For the first time in the history of sports planning in Pakistan, athlete welfare and systematic talent identification from School to College level have been made as policy objectives.
National Talent Pathway System: Sports competition will be a regular and compulsory part of schools, colleges and districts to identify raw talent from the urban and marginalized rural areas.
Athlete Welfare Protections: The framework provides athlete contracts, monthly stipends, health insurance and pension schemes for post-retirement benefits in order to protect players from exploitation.
Digitalisation of Sports: A National Digital Sports Platform will be established at the national level to keep a database of all the athletes, clubs and federations registered across the country that is verified.
