ISLAMABAD, March 8: In the aftermath of the Oct 8 earthquake, the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) is considering a fibre-glass roof for its under-construction boxing gymnasium in Islamabad, work on which has now been delayed.

“We want to reduce weight on the foundations by avoiding a concrete roof and consultations are on with relevant people,” Brig Arif Mahmud Siddiqui, head of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) told Dawn on Wednesday.

Work on what will be a multi-purpose gymnasium being built at a cost of almost Rs40 million had initially begun in 2004 but it had to be stopped some months ago for varying reasons.

The contractor had to be away for a considerable period to attend to an unwell family member while the earthquake that rocked Islamabad and other northern regions last year led to a rethink of structural design.

Another reason for the delay in completion of the project was that the funds were re-appropriated and used elsewhere, Arif said.

“We have set new deadlines and the gymnasium will now be ready by June 2007.”

The actual period for completion was 18 months with a June 2006 deadline but all the above hiccups have proven to be a blessing in disguise.

“We have told the contractor quite clearly that we do not want a concrete roof.”

But Islamabad will not be the only gymnasium to have a fibreglass roof as there are plans to have similar ones for under- construction venues at Quetta, Lahore and Peshawar.

“We cannot have such a roof for the gymnasium at Karachi though because work there is well beyond the roofing stage.”

Once ready, the Islamabad gymnasium apart from boxing could also be utilised for volleyball, basketball, badminton, wrestling and quite a few other sports.

It will have all the basic facilities like changing and conference rooms, toilets, seating and a public address system.

The playing area of the gymnasium is 125 ft x 80 ft, as large as that of the Liaquat Gymnasium, the country’s biggest venue for indoor sports.

The PSB is spending almost Rs200 million on the five gymnasiums which are part of several development projects that are being executed by the board.

Out of the five gymnasiums, Arif said that Karachi was well ahead of its deadline while work on the Lahore project was progressing at a satisfactory pace.

The Quetta venue, he felt was on the slower side with work in Peshawar having coming to a standstill following a land dispute.

All the gymnasiums will be 40ft high specifically to cater for volleyball, badminton and basketball with each centre having imported maple wood flooring and a seating capacity for 2000 spectators.

Initially the government had plans to have facilities for boxing only but it was on the insistence of PSB that more funds were acquired in order to have room for other sports as well.

The PSB has already completed several development projects in its bid to overcome the chronic shortage of infrastructure and facilities.

The government allocated a sum of Rs313.973 million under the Public Sector Development Programme 2005-06 for various projects.

By January 2004 the PSB had as many as 51 projects approved which is a record in Pakistan’s sporting history.

During the past four years, the Board has completed such tasks as replacement of artificial hockey pitches at Karachi, Quetta, Rawalpindi and Islamabad besides the construction of the modern Mushaf Squash Complex here and a players’ hostel at the Pakistan Sports Complex.

Arif hoped that if money kept coming in Pakistan could organise its sports on truly scientific lines. Part of his plan is a sports medicine centre which will aim at screening athletes for diseases and ways to enhance players’ performance through scientific research.