KARACHI: The 17th Sindh Games have been delayed for more than three years and there is no activity in this respect even though the province now has a sports minister.
The Sindh Games are the most important and biggest sports extravaganza organised by the provincial government in which players compete in a number of disciplines, including all Olympic sports.
Sardar Muhammad Bux Mahar was appointed sports minister in the province last month.
Sources said that according to the planning this year Sindh Games would be held in Larkana, but it is yet to be finalised.
The 16th Sindh Games were organised in Hyderabad in December 2012 by SSB when late Dr Muhammad Ali Shah was the sports minister.
The new sports minister will take some time to understand the politics of sports bodies and officials but some issues are very obvious and understandable.
The province does not have its own tartan track. Successive provincial governments have paid no attention to this matter. Hundreds of thousands of Sindh-based athletes remain deprived of proper practice because of this.
PPP has not given much importance to sports affairs. All sports affairs have been grabbed by some so-called organisers who hold competitions in collaboration with government officers.
There have been no events organised by any government-run sports body.
Surprisingly neither Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) nor Sindh Olympic Association (SOA) objected when unelected people and organisations held events in the province.
Tartan tracks are the most essential part of sports activities at every level and it is the responsibility of the government to lay tracks.
There is only one tartan track, at PSB-owned National Coaching Centre in Karachi. Even that has completed its life and needs to be replaced. But the federal government has not shown any interest in this matter.
It was laid more than 20 years ago. Its condition is so poor that no national-level event can be organised.
The incompetency, lethargy, and lack of vision of Sindh sports officials can be judged by their congratulatory statements when the province came third in the recent Quaid-e-Azam inter provincial games in Islamabad. Sindh won 18 gold medals, 22 silver and 33 bronze.
It is deplorable that they expressed satisfaction on Sindh’s taking third position.
Punjab got the first position and KP second position.
Sindh Sports Board (SSB) officials should realise that KP got 2nd position although there is a war-like situation in that province and millions of people are displaced.
They must think why Sindh, which is bigger than KP and has more resources, came behind KP.
Punjab is bigger than Sindh and is far ahead of other provinces as far as sports infrastructure is concerned, but there is no justification for Sindh to get beaten by KP. It is an absolute failure of SSB.
Moreover, the SSB had promised to give Rs5000 to each bronze medal winner, Rs10,000 to silver winners and Rs 20,000 to gold winners. But they denied Rs5,000 to bronze medal winners and gave only Rs5000 to the silver medal winners.