Pakistan gets go-ahead to stage SA Games in Feb

ISLAMABAD: The member countries of the South Asian Olympic Council (SAOC) have given go-ahead to stage the 14th edition of the SA Games in Pakistan in the first half of February 2025.

‘The News’ has learnt that the Games could start on or around February 1 or 2, 2025 with two major cities Islamabad and Lahore sharing the hosting rights of the majority of the events. Lahore has been allotted 18 events with Islamabad and Rawalpindi to host nine games. Handball has been allotted to Faisalabad.

“Yes, we have been given go-ahead by the member countries to hold the 14th edition of the SA Games in first half of February 2025. Chances are there that the event will get underway on February 1 or 2 and will end around February 12. The final dates will be announced in consultation with the government of Pakistan,” an official, when contacted, said.

A high-level meeting has been scheduled for today (Monday) at the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) office in Lahore with NOC and Federal Government officials sitting together to further deliberate on the issues before finalising the dates of Games.

Lahore has been allotted to host Archery, badminton, basketball, boxing, fencing, football, golf, hockey, judo, kabaddi, karate, rugby, shooting, swimming, taekwondo, weightlifting, wrestling and cricket.

Islamabad will host athletics, rowing (Rawalpindi), squash, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, wushu, billiard, snooker and triathlon. The government has already consulted the Foreign Office for its guidance and implications involved in hosting the 14th edition of the Games. The regional relations are one aspect while the other is relating to importance of the event for reputation of the country at international level. There has been an unprecedented delay in hosting the event. Originally Pakistan was scheduled to host the event in 2021, two years after Nepal organised the event in 2019 but Covid-19 resulted in unprecedented delay.

Earlier, the POA had finalised March 2024 to host the event in a post-Covid area but now in all probabilities the Games would be held in February 2025. The POA has already submitted an estimate of Rs9 billion which was later slashed to Rs7 billion for hosting the event.

The hefty amount also includes Rs3 billion for development of infrastructure while another Rs4 billion for actual hosting of the Games including the purchase of gear and board, and lodging of almost 5,000 athletes and officials turning up from the South Asian countries for the Games.

The POA has been under considerable pressure from all South Asian member countries to either host the Games at the earliest or surrender the hosting rights in favour of Sri Lanka where the next edition has been scheduled.

Pakistan is also scheduled to host the ICC Champions Trophy starting from February 7. Lahore and Rawalpindi will also be staging most of the Champions Trophy matches. The POA officials say that by the time the Trophy gets into the top gear, the 14th SA Games will conclude.