Pakistan Sports Board issued a notification (No.F.9-2/2024-PSB(NF) in December last year in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 5 of the Sports (Development and Control) Ordinance, 1962, by which the Board has promulgated “Pakistan Code of Ethics and Governance in Sports”, commonly known as PCEGS.

This code is applicable to all national sports federations already affiliated with the PSB, their provincial sports associations, divisional sports associations, district sports associations, tehsil sports associations, clubs, members, office bearers, athletes, coaches, all other athlete support personnel and individuals while it is also applicable on all the above mentioned organizations seeking voluntary affiliation with the PSB.

The PSB stated that the primary purpose of the PCEGS is to improve sports governance system in Pakistan and to uphold integrity, transparency, and accountability, while promoting a safe, fair, and healthy sporting environment given the significant public investment made by the government.

The PSB further empahsised that the principles of this Code are based on the International Olympic Committee (lOC)’s Code of Ethics, national requirements, international treaties, conventions, and charters and are aligned with international best practices.

“Therefore, this Code does not contradict or interfere with the autonomy of national sports federations in discharging their functions and duties,” stated the PSB in the notification.

The PSB expects Good Governance & Integrity from the entities (on which this code is applicable) and asks them to take measures to prevent the manipulation of events, match-fixing, discrimination, misuse of authority or power, gambling, corruption or bribery, human trafficking, harassment, violence, doping in sports, and such other actions or misconduct.

The violations of the code include discrimination and unjustified unequal treatment (on the grounds of color, origin, nationality, social background, sex, age, disability, mental illness, language, religion, political or other opinions, social status, or any other grounds); harassment or any behavior that violates a person’s psychological, physical, or sexual integrity (this includes discrimination, bullying, stalking, or remarks that damage a person’s dignity or reputation; deliberate physical harm, such as hitting or administering substances by coercion; and any unwanted sexual behavior, including harassment, touching, or coercive sexual acts); misuse of finances and corruption (this refers to the improper or unauthorized use of financial resources for personal gain or inappropriate purposes, including bribery, the offering or acceptance of undue advantages, and using financial gifts or donations to influence decision-making, awarding contracts, as well as accepting gifts that exceed socially accepted norms).

Similarly, ignorance of conflicts of interest is prohibited (this includes the concealment or non-disclosure of personal interests, relationships, or secondary occupations by a decision-maker, especially when these may create an impression of bias; unsporting behavior is prohibited and deemed to include flagrant violations of fundamental values of sport (these values include fair play, rejecting unfair or dishonest advantages in competition, and showing respect for oneself opponents, the rules of the game, the decisions of referees, umpires and judges, for the spectators, and for animals and the environment).

Also, the misuse of power is prohibited and occurs when a person or Federation, having authority or control over another individual, uses their position to confer, grant, or deny benefits, advancements, or opportunities, or affects the physical or psychological well-being of that individual.

Moreover, human trafficking is prohibited and is an act of facilitating or encouraging a sportsperson or support personnel to unlawfully remain in another country, often for financial gains; event manipulation aimed at improperly altering the outcome or course of a sporting competition for undue advantage is prohibited; gambling in sports is prohibited (this involves betting or wagering on the outcome of sports events, often linked to illegal activities such as influencing or fixing matches for financial gain).

An interesting violation is about age fraud which involves falsifying or misrepresenting an athlete’s age to gain an unfair advantage, typically by competing in a younger age category or avoiding age-based restrictions since this unethical practice compromises fair competition and can distort talent development pathways in sports while another violation is of anti-doping code and rules.

The Petition Procedure for this code is that any person or an entity who has a dispute, complaint or grievance regarding the violation of this Code may file a written petition with the dispute resolution section of the Board — the Technical Wing of the Pakistan Sports Board which serves as the Secretariat for the Panel of Adjudicators.

It is to be noted that the PSB has already appointed “Adjudicators” with the authority to resolve disputes, complaints, or grievances concerning the governance, operational performance, or conduct of national sports federations, affiliated persons, or entities.

The Board of the PSB in its 31st meeting on December 4, 2024, through a committee made the appointments to the Panel of Adjudicators of the Board with immediate effect for a period of three years, and the panel includes Senator Pervez Rashid, Manzoor-ul-Hasan (Hockey Olympian), Salman Iqbal Butt (Athletics Coach), Senator Rubina Irfan, and Shakeel Durrani (former Civil Servant).

Then, the dispute resolution section will review the petition and determine whether it should be adjudicated by adjudicators or referred to the PSB for an inquiry. If the petition is referred for Adjudication Procedure, the adjudicator will issue notices to the petitioner and respondents on the same day.

The adjudicator will issue a written decision after hearing all parties and considering the evidence presented, within thirty days of receiving the petition from the President PSB while sanctions will be imposed by the adjudicator.

However, any person aggrieved by the decision of the adjudicator may appeal to the Board within thirty days of the date of issuance of adjudicators decision.

If the decision of adjudicator is not challenged before the Board within thirty days of the date of issuance, it shall attain the finality.

The sanctions covered under the code include a verbal or written apology, a verbal or written reprimand, a temporary ban ranging from 1 year to 10 years, permanent ban on carrying out sports activities in any capacity, suspension or disaffiliation (in the cases of gross violations) while the case can be referred to the relevant investigation agency (in case of evidence of criminal element).

However, the Board has the authority to sustain, suspend, modify, reduce or rescind the sanction imposed by the adjudicator while the Board also has the right to make the proceedings conducted under this code public, including broadcasting through Zoom or other electronics means.