Sindh contingent to leave today

Inter-Provincial Games

KARACHI: Sindh’s contingent, carrying around 300 athletes and officials, is set to leave for Islamabad by Awami Express on Thursday (today) to feature in the first edition of Quaid-e-Azam Inter-Provincial Games to be held at the Pakistan Sports Complex Islamabad from April 23-26.

“Our contingent will leave for Islamabad tomorrow at 7am,” Sindh Sports Board’s (SSB) Director Shehzad Pervez Bhatti told ‘The News’ on Wednesday.

In the four-day affair, on which a huge amount of Rs137 million is being spent, around 2500 athletes from four provinces, Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit-Baltistan and FATA will be showcasing their talent.

Players over 25 years of age are not eligible for the Games which were postponed twice due to various reasons.

The Sindh contingent includes 145 female athletes. The competitions will be held in athletics (men, women), basketball (men, women), judo (men, women), badminton (men,  women), hockey (men, women), boxing (men), wrestling (men), tennis (men, women), squash (men, women), tae kwon do (men, women), karate (men, women), table tennis (men, women), football (men,  women) and volleyball (men, women).

Sindh’s athletes have practised for one week only. “Our players practised for one week at different venues. I think it is sufficient training as the players always keep themselves fit,” the SSB official said.

Shehzad said that he was confident that Sindh would perform well in the event.

SSB’s Deputy Directors Hussain Makani and Mohammad Farooq Khan will accompany the contingent as chef de mission and deputy chef de mission.

Sindh has been issued funds by the organisers and the contingent will be received by the province’s representative Makhdoom Irshad, who is already present in Islamabad.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to grace the opening ceremony on which a hefty amount will be spent.

National federations are providing only technical assistance to the organisers.

The sports circles say that the PSB should have focused seriously on Pakistan’s Olympic chances instead of staging an unnecessary event which will only give an opportunity to the organisers to misuse funds.

It is pertinent to mention here that the government has not assisted federations that want to field players in the Rio Olympics qualifiers. The federations of wrestling, boxing and weightlifting suffered a lot in their bids to field their players in the qualifiers.

The PSB only supported Japan-based judoka Shah Hussain who is well-poised to win his Olympic seat.