PSB finalises SAG contingent without POA, federations input

KARACHI: In a rare development, Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has finalised the 305-member national contingent for the 13th South Asian Games without consulting national federations and Pakistan Olympic Association (POA).

Highly credible sources in the POA told ‘The News’ that the PSB excluded archery and golf from the contingent and made deduction and addition on its own without taking federations and the POA into confidence.

The sources said that some federations had also decided to intimate the Board that it would not be the responsibility of the federations if their squads failed to deliver in the biennial spectacle scheduled to be held in Nepal from December 1-10.

The POA wanted to field a 424-member contingent in SAG.

The sources in the POA also said that the PSB would be responsible for the performance of the national contingent.

But a senior PSB official Azam Dar told ‘The News’ that the Board had to sponsor squads of only those federations which were affiliated with the Board.

He said that POA wanted PSB to sponsor its (NOC’s) officials but the Board decided to sponsor two senior officials from the PSB and two from the ministry of IPC.

Dar made it clear that the Board would only sponsor 305-member contingent. He added the Board would have no objection if POA added games in the list. Dar said that the Board had also told POA to add football after the normalisation committee took over but the NOC said that it would be subject to accreditation.

The Board is yet to deposit boarding fee with the SAG organisers. “This matter has been taken up with the ministry of finance for approval of foreign exchange. Hopefully it will be cleared,” Dar clarified.

This is the first time that national athletes were left unattended as no camps were held for the SAG which is a very important regional event.

POA wanted minimum six months camps to prepare for SAG but the government did not hold camps at all because of scarcity of funds.

However, departments did a solid job to hold three to four months camps for their athletes to prepare them for the 33rd National Games held in Peshawar which may help them to certain extent to perform in Nepal. Nepal’s cities of Kathmandu and Pokhara will hold the Games.

Meanwhile, a PSB senior official said that Pakistan would feature in SAG in 19 disciplines: athletics, badminton, boxing, handball, kabaddi, squash, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, volleyball (beach), weightlifting, cycling, karate, wrestling, wushu, judo, volleyball and shooting.

The official said that the camps had already been started at various centres of the country.

Islamabad is hosting camps of athletics, badminton, boxing, handball, kabaddi, tennis, squash, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, beach volleyball and weightlifting.

Peshawar is hosting camps of judo and volleyball while cycling, karate and wushu players are training at Lahore.

The camp for shooters is in operation in Karachi.

Pakistan’s contingent will go to Nepal in phases. Volleyball will be the first team to proceed to Kathmandu, on November 25 from Islamabad as the volleyball event will begin on November 27.

POA has already sent its official to Kathmandu for delegation registration. Secretary ministry for inter-provincial coordination (IPC) Akbar Durrani will be Pakistan’s chef de mission during the Games. Pakistan Karate Federation (PKF) chairman Mohammad Jehangir will be the secretary of the contingent.