Asian Games preparation: POA-PSB meeting likely this week

KARACHI: Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) are more likely to hold a meeting in Islamabad this week to finalise various matters about Pakistan’s participation in the Asian Games.

“Very soon we are going to meet POA,” a PSB official told ‘The News’ on Sunday. The official said it was very important to sort out different things about Asian Games. “The new Director General would need some time to be familiar with the things,” the official said.

Arif Ibrahim, senior joint secretary of the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC), has replaced Amir Ali Ahmed as PSB Acting Director General recently. Amir, a DMG officer, had been given the additional charge when Dr Akhtar Nawaz Ganjera retired in February. The official also said that the PSB had received a letter from the POA regarding a meeting.

A POA official told this correspondent that the POA had written to PSB and was waiting for its response. “We are waiting for the Board’s response to our letter,” the POA official told this correspondent.

The PSB official said that Rs200 million would be credited to the PSB accounts in a couple of days which would pave the way for preparation and participation in the Asian Games, slated to be held in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang from August 18 to September 2.

“When this amount is used, Rs100 million more will be released,” the Board official said. Because of financial issues, the Board had halted camps of some disciplines had been started in Islamabad and Lahore. Those camps are yet to be resumed.

The camps of most of the disciplines, especially those in which Pakistan took part in the Commonwealth Games, have not been initiated yet.

A senior official of Pakistan Kabaddi Federation (PKF) told ‘The News’ on Sunday that in a couple of days they would be certain about the situation. “It would be good if the Board gave us a camp soon. If it gets delayed we will have to start camp ourselves,” the official said.

Pakistan’s chances of winning a medal in kabaddi are very high, but delay in preparation may put the team in trouble in Indonesia. The kabaddi camp had been stopped due to Super Kabaddi League held in Lahore early this month. The POA-PSB meeting will make it clear how many disciplines PSB will support financially.

It is expected that Pakistan will take part in Asian Games in 28 or 29 disciplines.Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) will have to send its squad for the Asian Games through its own resources as the federation has disassociated itself from the Board. The football camp started at Lahore on Friday night under the supervision of Brazilian coach Jose Antonio Nogueira.