POA ExCo annoyed by hurdles placed in SAG preparations

KARACHI: The Executive Committee of the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) on Monday expressed concerns over the way certain quarters have been impeding the preparations for the 14th South Asian Games which the country is supposed to host in early 2023.

“The EC noted that the POA had completed the assessment of the venues and accommodation available at Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Sialkot by a Committee headed by President Punjab Olympic Association. However, the house expressed disappointment on the slow pace of certain quarters that is disrupting the preparations of 14th South Asian Games,” the POA said after its ExCo meeting presided by its president Lt Gen (retd) Arif Hasan.

“It was surprising for the attendees, representatives of the various National Sports Federations, that the PSB without consulting them have chalked out a demand and budget for the Games and preparation,” the POA added.

This correspondent learnt that so far no notification regarding the 14th South Asian Games has been issued by the government. Before taking any further step the state issues a notification and steering and organising committees are formed. The notification is copied to every ministry with every detail, including dates of the Games and directives are given to the ministries to facilitate the arrangements. But according to a source no such notification has been issued so far.

This correspondent learnt that four venues in Punjab have been approved by Prime Minister Imran Khan for the Games. But according to a source the PSB has demanded Rs800 million for the renovation of the Islamabad Sports Complex, where competitions in just a couple of events are expected to be organised during the 14th SAG.

“Islamabad has already hosted the Games twice. Is it not right to develop other venues and hold the Games there?” a source said. The EC considered and approved the process leading to the elections of the provincial Olympic associations of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh. “The electoral processes at these associations will be monitored by the POA under the model constitution,” the POA said.

It has been learnt that the provincial associations will have to adopt the model constitution before going for the electoral process. The EC expressed concerns over recent media reports regarding the surrender of budget allocated for the promotion of sports and athlete support programmes. The EC said that these funds could have been spent on the athletes in the process of qualification for Olympic Games and those who have already qualified.

The PSB has surrendered Rs440m to the finance division. “It was also noted that the government quarters had long been stating paucity of funds but surrendering the funds to treasury speaks otherwise,” it said.

The EC was briefed about the meetings of two federations with Minister for IPC about the constitution and policy under consideration. The EC noted that the PSB has yet to provide the draft of the policy and constitution to the federations and POA for consultation leading to a framework in consonance with the Olympic Charter and other applicable statutes.

The EC expressed satisfaction on the measures being taken by the POA and Brigadier Zaheer Akhtar, the chef de mission for Tokyo Games. ‘The News’ learnt that the POA had requested the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) that there was a need of helping the provincial Olympic associations as they were not getting financial assistance from any quarter. The source said that the OCA agreed. “It would definitely reduce the issues of the provincial Olympic associations,” a source said.