Ex-Lt Gen Arif resigns as Pakistan Olympic Association chief

LAHORE: Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) chief Lt General (R) Syed Arif Hasan has resigned from his post due to health reasons.

He served in the capacity for 19 long years. He had been elected as the POA’s president on March 11, 2004.

In a letter to the POA Executive Committee General Arif announced his resignation from the coveted post.

“I am writing to formally resign as the president of Pakistan Olympic Association, effective January 1, 2024,” the letter he wrote to POA ExCo on December 28 said.

“The decision to step aside is not one I have taken lightly. It is borne out of the necessity to balance my health and well-being with the demand of leading such a dynamic and impactful organisation. Hope you will understand and respect this decision of mine,” the letter said.

“Leading POA has been an enriching experience. The journey I had undertaken upon has not only led to significant milestones for the association but also on personal level has been a source of contentment and fulfillment for me. I want to express my utmost gratitude for the support I have received from all of you during my time at POA.

“I cherished the relationship I have formed with my colleagues. All of you have been a source of strength for me and together we have been able to raise POA to the level of professionalism that has been acknowledged internationally. Your honest, forthright and professional opinions always mattered a great deal to me and always led to well considered collective decisions being taken,” the letter said.

“My heartfelt thanks also to every member of the POA secretariat whose dedication and skill transformed challenges into successes. Your commitment has been the backbone of our success and I am deeply appreciative of the support and solidarity that have been extended to me throughout my tenure. I never found myself wanting for lack of secretariat support.” “I assure you that I earnestly desire a smooth transition to ensure the continuity of our excellent work. It is my sincere wish that POA continues to thrive and excel, building on the solid foundation we have established together. I am deeply thankful to the trust that was placed in me and for the opportunity to lead the Olympic Movement of Pakistan. I step down with a sense of accomplishment and a heart full of gratitude, confident in POA’s bright future and continue success as per its mandate,” the letter said.

He is the second longest-serving POA president. Before him Syed Wajid Ali served in the capacity for 26 years.

General Arif, who is also the vice-president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), tactfully handled even the toughest of situations his NOC faced during his lengthy tenure. Meanwhile the POA senior vice-president Syed Aqil Shah told The News that he does not accept his resignation.

“He (General Arif) has written the letter to the POA ExCo and I am the senior vice-president of the POA and I don’t accept his resignation and I hope the whole ExCo will not accept this,” Aqil Shah said. “We are going to hold the POA ExCo meeting tomorrow and I will attend it on zoom and we will not accept the resignation,” stressed Shah, also a former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Minister. A senior POA official Mohammad Shafiq said that Arif never compromised on principles. “I have never seen a dedicated and honest man as General Arif was. He never compromised on principles. His relations within the Olympic family and on international level were fantastic,” said Shafiq, who is also the secretary of Asian Handball Federation (AHF).

Shafiq said that every effort would be made to ensure smooth transition as per the POA Constitution. The POA senor official Mohammad Jehangir said that the POA ExCo meeting will be held on Sunday (today) and the matter will be discussed. General Arif also serves as the president of Pakistan Archery Federation.