2025 to be celebrated as year of sports: Ahsan

ISLAMABAD: The year 2025 will be declared as the “Year of Sports” with every effort to be made to host the 14th edition of the South Asian Games and numerous other sports events in a befitting manner, the Federal Minister of Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, who took the additional charge of the Minister of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC), said on Monday.

Following a briefing by the Ministry’s officials and Director General Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Shoaib Khoso, the Minister said hosting of the 14th edition of the Games will not be possible this year. “We have to concentrate on hosting the mega event in 2025 which will be declared as the Year of Sports. Besides that, a few other sports events including the Islamabad Games and National Games will also be organised.”

Counting on his experience, Ahsan said federations would have to get rid of politics in order to bring better results in future. “Politics in sports and federations is one of the reasons for our non-progress in sports. Today we are nowhere at the Asian level, hardly getting any medals at this stage.”

The Minister also hinted at establishing a Sports Authority maintaining that collective efforts are required to excel in sports. “Sports definitely is a centralised subject as some kind of authority should be there for initiating collective efforts with the help of provinces and federal sports authorities. The former stalwarts like Majid Khan and Jahangir Khan should also be included in the Board of Governors.”