BISL in danger of cancellation

KARACHI: The third edition of Balochistan International Squash League (BISL) scheduled in November in Quetta is in danger of cancellation.

It has been learnt that the venue of the BISL, which has been converted into a $20,000 international event, is Serena Hotel Quetta in Balochistan.

But, the organisers need to install glass squash courts at the venue to make this event a reality. “The glass court is owned by Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) and they charge one million rupees for it,” said a source.

“And the federation is reluctant to give the court to BISL organisers as the federation feels it has been by-passed by the organizers,” the source added.

The source added that the organisers were ready to pay the rent to PSF but the federation had placed another condition. “The federation wants the organisers to accommodate their four referees in the event, which is not possible as this event allows players for self-refereeing,” added the source.

The source said that this skirmish between the organisers and PSF might result in the cancellation of the event. “It will hurt local players as Pakistan has hosted only one international event this year,” said the source.

The organisers don’t want to shift this event to Karachi as BISL is aimed at highlighting peaceful image of Pakistan in general and Balochistan in particular.

It is to be noted that BISL was started in 2017 and has turned into a leading sport event and brand from Balochistan.

A local coach while talking to ‘The News’ suggested that the event could be held in the cantonment area which will prove cost-effective.

“The organisers can easily hold this event on the courts in the cantonment area as the glass court would cost too much to the organisers.

“The glass court’s installation will be done by a special team so in total this will cost around 1.5 million rupees to the organisers,” said the local coach.

He added that this money can be saved and utilised for other purposes since the event is being held under the covid-19 restrictions and all players will undergo test for corona as well.

October 13 is the last date to enter the event, which will be played from November 3-7.