POA women commission renews vow to help female athletes

KARACHI: Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) women commission has reiterated its pledge to create a conducive environment for female athletes.

A virtual meeting of the commission was held on Monday with Fatima Lakhani in the chair. Tania Mallick, Elain Alam, Ada Jaffery, Veena Salman Masud, Khalid Mahmood, Wasim-Uddin Hashmi and Tariq Wahid Khan also attended the meeting.

The meeting was organised on the occasion of international women day. The POA secretary Khalid Mahmood said that they are proud that women are contributing in every walk of life, including sports and Olympic Movement.

He also conveyed the message of the POA chief of his complete support in its endeavor for gender equality in all sports.

It was resolved to ensure a conducive environment for female athletes. The Commission lauded the efforts for safeguarding athletes from harassment and abuse in sport as per the IOC toolkit. “Recently conducted IOC Safe Sport Webinar was a testament to commitment towards a harassment-free sport culture in Pakistan,” a POA press release said.

“The commission is committed to address the grievances of the athletes and coaches and fight against any form of harassment. The commission is devising a process to create a pool of counselors at all cities to address the issues of female sports personnel. It is equally important to launch a call to action to gather such resources for the future,” it said.

It was resolved to have provincial chapters of women commission and to ensure presence of counselors during camps and competitions and conduct online courses. “The same shall be recommended to be incorporated in statutes of provincial bodies,” the POA said.