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Friday March 29, 2024

POA to okay arbitration panel in ExCo meeting

By Our Correspondent
July 28, 2018

KARACHI: Quite a few crucial matters will be discussed when Pakistan Olympic Association’s (POA) Executive Committee meets in Lahore on July 31.

The committee will discuss Pakistan’s participation in the Asian Games 2018, Summer Youth Olympics 2018, ANOC World Beach Games 2019, Winter Children of Asia Games 2019 and national-level events. It is also likely to approve a panel of arbitrators.

According to POA’s secretary Khalid Mehmood, their legal advisor Ali Reza will recommend a panel, comprising bureaucrats and retired judges, to the POA’s president in the meeting. The POA chief will then put the list before the ExCo for formal approval, he said.

To a query, Khalid said that the panel would have at least five members. The arbitration rules have already been approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

It is pertinent to mention here that legal sports issues have been damaging the country’s sports over the years. The parties concerned, while bypassing the POA’s arbitration, file cases in courts which take a long time.

Although judo issue is not on the agenda of the meeting, it is likely that the ExCo would discuss the matter of judokas’ inclusion in the contingent for the Asiad which will be held in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang from August 18 to September 2.

As Japan-based Olympian Shah Hussain has the guts to prove his mettle at the biggest show of the continent, it is expected that the NOC would decide to confirm his name for the Asiad.Both Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) and Pakistan Cycling Federation (PCF) have had legal issues with the POA for the last few years.

Cyclists have no chance of any medal in the Asian Games, so no rider is likely to be sent to Indonesia. But it is expected that Shah Hussain and Qaiser Khan Afridi will be given the opportunity to feature in the Asian Games for which the board and lodging fee has not yet been deposited by the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) with the organisers for which July 20 was the last date.

The establishment of the National Olympic Academy and marketing department are also important points on the agenda. The POA chief Lt Gen (retd) Syed Arif Hassan will preside over the meeting which will start at 11am at a hotel in Lahore.