KEY POINTS
- Punjab’s first dedicated Sports City will be constructed in 2027.
- Khelta Punjab Pink Games expanded to every tehsil.
- 3,400 female athletes competed in 2026 edition after tehsil qualifiers.
- CM Maryam announced Rs20 million prize money for women athletes.
LAHORE, Pakistan: Pakistan’s most populous province, Punjab, will build its first dedicated Sports City by 2027, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said on Wednesday, marking a major step to modernise the province’s sporting infrastructure.
Unveiling the landmark project at the inauguration ceremony of the Khelta Punjab Pink Games 2026 at Punjab Stadium, the chief minister confirmed that construction of the state-of-the-art Sports City will commence this year.
The facility represents Punjab’s first integrated athletic hub designed to provide world-class training and competition venues under one umbrella.
In tandem with the Sports City announcement, Maryam Nawaz declared that the Khelta Punjab Pink Games will now be expanded to every tehsil across the province, with a long-term roadmap to extend the initiative to the union council level.
She also announced Rs20 million in prize money for women athletes and directed authorities to ensure special arrangements for their accommodation, meals, and overall welfare.
The Punjab-wide Pink Games have officially been launched today!
Talented and determined girls from across the province are coming together to showcase their talent, skills and passion.Go forth with confidence, Girls, and conquer new heights. The world is yours to claim. I stand… pic.twitter.com/sJu1IRp1Pm
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) February 11, 2026
Sports City: A 2027 game-changer for Punjab
In the most significant announcement of the day, Maryam Nawaz confirmed that Punjab’s first Sports City will become a reality in 2027, with construction work beginning this year.
The dedicated sports hub represents a fundamental shift in how the province approaches athletic infrastructure.
Rather than piecemeal facilities scattered across the provincial capital, the Sports City will consolidate world-class training venues, competition-grade stadiums, and athlete support services into a single, integrated complex.
“The land is yours, the sky is yours, move forward and prove yourselves,” the chief minister told the assembled athletes, framing the Sports City project as both investment and invitation.
Pink Games go provincial: From Tehsil grounds to national glory
The 2026 Pink Games mark a watershed moment for women’s sports in Punjab. For the first time, 3,400 female athletes, all of whom qualified through rigorous tehsil-level competitions, have converged on Lahore to compete across multiple disciplines.
Maryam Nawaz directed sports authorities to immediately extend the Pink Games framework to every tehsil in Punjab, with a clear roadmap for eventual union council-level participation.
The strategy transforms what was once a Lahore-centric event into a genuinely provincial movement, capable of unearthing talent from the remotest corners of Punjab.
Provincial Minister for Sports Faisal Khokhar confirmed that monthly stipends are now being provided to female athletes, a sustained investment designed to keep talented sportswomen in competitive systems rather than losing them to financial pressures.
کوئی آپ کو یہ نہ کہے کہ عورت یہ کام نہیں کر سکتی۔ آپ کی بیٹیاں ملک بھی چلا سکتی ہیں۔ صوبہ بھی چلا سکتی ہیں۔ پارلیمنٹ اور وزارت بھی سنبھال سکتی ہیں۔ پولیس فورس اور کاؤنٹر ٹیررازم محکمہ بھی چلا سکتی ہیں۔ عورت معیشت سنبھال سکتی ہے۔
جہاز اڑا سکتی ہے۔ صنعت اور کاروبار چلا سکتی ہے۔… pic.twitter.com/QgQt0ukcSo— Azma Zahid Bokhari (@AzmaBokhariPMLN) February 11, 2026
Rs20 million prize pool and athlete welfare
The chief minister announced a prize money pool of Rs20 million for women athletes, but her directives extended far beyond financial incentives.
Special arrangements for accommodation, meals, and care of female athletes have been mandated, addressing the logistical barriers that have historically prevented talented sportswomen from participating in provincial competitions.
The message was unequivocal: women athletes are not guests in Punjab’s sporting system; they are its future.
Maryam Nawaz hailed the competitors as the “Super Daughters of Super Punjab,” rejecting narratives of female vulnerability while acknowledging the structural challenges women face in pursuing athletic careers.
“Your mother will not let you fall,” she told young athletes, positioning her government as both guardian and enabler of women’s sporting ambitions.
184 sports projects and astro-turf revolution
Beyond the headline announcements, the Punjab government is executing one of the most aggressive sports infrastructure programs in the province’s history.
Khokhar revealed that 184 sports projects are currently under completion across Punjab within a single financial year, a pace of delivery that suggests genuine administrative momentum.
Most significantly, synthetic astro-turf hockey stadiums will be constructed in every district of Punjab, targeting the sport in which Pakistan once commanded global respect.
The numbers already reflect results. Punjab secured 126 medals in the National Games and 173 medals in the Quaid-e-Azam Games, first-place finishes that validate the government’s investment in competitive pathways.
Beyond screens: Reclaiming playgrounds
With young people increasingly tethered to mobile screens, the chief minister emphasised that reviving sports grounds and promoting healthy activities is essential for both physical well-being and national character.
Punjab, she insisted, possesses immense sporting talent — but talent requires infrastructure, opportunity, and institutional support to flourish.
The Honhaar Scholarship Programme, she noted, already counts more than 60 percent girls among its beneficiaries.
The Pink Games expansion and Sports City project extend that commitment from classrooms to playing fields.
Year of Youth: Dreams and delivery
Declaring 2026 as the “Year of Youth,” Maryam Nawaz made a direct compact with Punjab’s young athletes. “You dream, and it is my job to help fulfil those dreams,” she said.
For the 3,400 women who marched past Olympian Faiza Riaz, who carried the Pink Games torch around the Punjab Stadium lap, who lit the ceremonial flame together, the dreams are already visible. A Sports City rising in 2027.
Tehsil grounds filled with competing athletes. Hockey stadiums in every district. Prize money that recognises effort and excellence.
