Govt plans to construct Olympic Village in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: The outgoing government was planning to construct an Olympic village spanning over 1200 Kanals in the foothills of Margalla in Islamabad, ARY News reported.  

A meeting to discuss the project was held in Islamabad with Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif in the chair.

The meeting was told that the Olympic Village would be developed over 1200 kanals of land at the foothills of Margalla Hills.

It would feature facilities of international standards for various sports, including a cricket academy, an international cricket stadium, a hockey ground, a tennis complex, an athletics stadium, indoor sports, an international hotel, and parking facilities.

It was told that an estimated budget of Rs3 billion has been allocated for the construction of the Olympics Village.

Speaking on the occasion, PM Shehbaz directed the authorities concerned to formulate a corporate structure for construction of the Olympic Village “which should be supervised by the relevant experts”.

The prime minister said the majority of Pakistan’s population comprised youth. The sports activities enable the youth to utilise their energies in a productive manner, he added.

Recalling the government’s historic steps for promotion of sports in the country, he said a national sports program was launched and the foundation for the first sports university in Islamabad was also laid.

Calling the Olympic Village a national project, the prime minister said a corporate structure be formulated for the project and the relevant experts should monitor the construction.

The prime minister directed to ensure transparency in the construction of the facility.

Former members of the National Assembly Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Hanif Abbasi and Anjum Aqeel, Chairman of Capital Development Authority and relevant senior officers attended the meeting.