35th National Games to be held in December

KARACHI: The National Sports Commission has given preliminary approval for the rescheduled 35th National Games—postponed earlier—to be held in December in Karachi, hosted by the Sindh Olympic Association (SOA).

The final approval will be granted during the Pakistan Olympic Association’s Executive Committee meeting scheduled for Monday.

In the meeting held Saturday in Lahore, the Pakistan Sports Commission reviewed the postponement of the 35th National Games due to a heatwave alert in Sindh and the situation following it. A letter issued by the Punjab Olympic Association was also discussed. In the letter, Punjab had expressed an intention to host the Games in Lahore on the same dates originally assigned, in light of Sindh’s postponement.

However, it was agreed in the meeting that the hosting rights of the 35th National Games would remain with the Sindh Olympic Association, and the Games will now take place in December to ensure better weather conditions. The Commission has finalised its recommendations and forwarded them to the Pakistan Olympic Association, which has called an emergency Executive Committee meeting on Monday to make a final decision.

Meanwhile, social media users are posting humorous comments regarding a letter sent by Khawaja Idrees Haider to the Punjab Sports Board. One user sarcastically asked him, “Will cool winds start blowing in Lahore from May 1 to May 9?”

On the other hand, sports circles have condemned the letter from the Punjab Olympic Association as a blatant overreach of authority, calling it a serious violation of the Olympic Movement and the POA’s code of conduct. It has also been interpreted as an attack on the province of Sindh.

Fans and experts have stated that no unit can unilaterally demand to host an event. Sports insiders argue that the letter was issued by an individual who is neither the president nor the secretary of the Punjab Olympic Association, and by doing so, this unauthorised person has also challenged the authority of the Pakistan Olympic Association—an organization that holds complete authority over such matters.

The hosting rights for the National Games are rotated among provinces, and only if a province declines to host can an alternative host city be considered.

Furthermore, the claim that the Games could be held within 15 days has been dismissed as an empty boast by Khawaja Idrees Haider of the Punjab Olympic Association. Organizing such a large-scale event requires months of preparation, including finalizing venues and having inspection teams from the Pakistan Olympic Association clear those venues.