ISLAMABAD: The 14th South Asian Games to be hosted by Pakistan may be delayed further as the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has announced fresh dates for the 19th Asian Games that will now be held in Hangzhou (China) from September 23-October 8, 2023.
The South Asian Olympic Committee headed by Lt Gen (r) Syed Arif Hasan has recently decided to hold the 14th edition of the SA Games in October/November 2023 instead of March 2023 but now when the OCA has come up with new dates for the Asian Games clashing with the SA Games dates, there is all the likelihood that the regional sports gala will have fresh schedule.
“Yes, I don’t think it will be possible for the South Asian community to hold the 14th edition of SA Games in October/November 2023. The Games in all likelihood will now be held in March 2024 instead of October 2023. However, the final decision to this effect rests with the SA Olympic Committee that is expected to hold its meeting anytime later this year,” a Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) official said.
He added that since the Asian Games are organised on a larger scale, the South Asian Games Olympic Committee will have to readjust its dates.
“You cannot even organise the regional Games anytime close to the Asian Games. Thus in all probabilities, the SA Games will now be held in March 2024. These dates look like the only viable option now,” he said.
The 19th Asian Games was originally planned to be held in Hangzhou from September 10-25, 2022 however, due to the Covid-19 global pandemic the Games were postponed by the OCA Executive Board (EB) on May 6, 2022 and a “Task Force” was created by the EB to finalise the new dates for the Games.
The Task Force over the last two months held various discussions with the Chinese Olympic Committee, Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee (HAGOC) and other stakeholders to find a window for the Games which did not conflict with other major international sporting events. The recommended dates by the Task Force were duly approved by the OCA EB.
“The OCA thanks HAGOC, the Chinese Olympic Committee, as well as the Governments at all levels for their hard work in preparing for the Games during the pandemic and ensuring they can take place next year.
The OCA would also like to express its appreciation for the patience shown by the National Olympic Committees and International Federation/Asian Federations and other stakeholders for giving all clear to hold the Asian Games in Hangzhou in September 2023,” the OCA official handout says.
“We hope to see the best ever Asian Games to be hosted by China next year,” the POA official said.