S Asia Games likely to be postponed again

ISLAMABAD: The future of much-delayed 13th South Asian Games has again been left to uncertainty as the Nepal’s Supreme Court has stayed the forthcoming country’s national Olympic Committee’s elections.

The Games are set to start from December 1 in Nepal. However, the intervention of Nepal’s Supreme Court has put on hold all the preparations that were under way for the Games.

The court, through an interim order, refrained the Olympic Committee from the planned elections till the time it decides on the matter.

“The Games have already been put off twice before the new dates were finalised in March this year. The new development is a cause of concern for the South Asian countries,” one of the federation officials, when contacted, said.

Nepal Supreme Court’s Justice Tanka Bahadur Mokton while reacting on the plea of an Executive Committee member has summoned both the parties in a week’s time to hear the petition.

“Unless and until the matters settles down amicably, chances are there that the forthcoming Games may well get a new date. According to the federations’ officials in Nepal, efforts are on to settle the matter amicably so that the Games could go ahead as planned,” the official said.

Nepal’s NOC headed by Jeeval Ram Shrestha is recognised by the IOC and OCA while the parallel body was declared illegal by the Nepal’s Supreme Court in 2010.