PSB almost botched Pakistan’s participation in Tokyo Olympics

KARACHI: The country’s entire contingent’s participation in the Olympics was at stake due to Pakistan Sports Board’s (PSB) non-compliance to the Olympics Activity Plan.

An investigation by ‘The News’ has revealed how PSB had almost botched Pakistan’s participation in the Tokyo Olympics.

Mari Iwama of the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games emailed the activity plan to the National Olympic Committee of Pakistan on May 26.

“As we have explained on several occasions, we are pleased to announce the details of the Activity Plan. Please find the attached Activity Plan which will be required for those who are entering Japan from 1 July 2021.

“As entry to Japan is strictly restricted, CLO is required to submit an Activity Plan to Tokyo 2020 four weeks prior to entry into Japan. Please be sure to meet the deadline which depends on the arrival date,” stated Mari.

The organisers also emailed the National Olympic Committee on May 1 that “the entry for the ‘Firearms and Ammunition Registration System” would start on May 1 and that the deadline was May 21.

But the PSB failed to abide by the Activity Plan as they sent the tickets of the contingent to Pakistan Olympics Association (POA) on July 13, only two days before the departure of the contingent.

“Even permission from airlines to get firearms and ammunition on board takes 5 to 6 days. And the last date for giving firearms details with flight details to Japan was May 21,” said an official of National Rifle Association of Pakistan (NRAP) while talking to ‘The News’.

The official added that the last day for submitting the Activity Plan with flight arrival date was 30 days before arrival in Japan.

“If POA had not booked our flights and paid for the tickets, there was no way that any athlete from Pakistan could have participated in the Olympics,” said the official.

On July 13, PSB’s Director Training Raja Zulfiqar Akhtar provided air tickets of the contingent to Secretary Pakistan Olympics Association (POA) Khalid Mehmood.

Raja requested the Secretary POA to provide the PSB with the copies of tickets and accreditations of Tokyo-bound athletes but POA refused to do so.

“Enclosed please find confirmed air-tickets of Pakistan contingent for participation in the subject Games sponsored by Pakistan Sports Board for information and further necessary arrangements,” the PSB said.

“The original air tickets and Daily/Pocket Allowance will be delivered to the concerned upon their arrival at Pakistan Sports Board well before their departure to Japan,” it added.

“Furthermore, this office has already requested POA for the provision of copies of Accreditation Cards & Passports of the Pakistan contingent members for ensuring their timely boarding.

“However, the same has not yet been provided by POA to PSB. It is once again requested to provide copies of the Accreditation Cards & Passports of contingent members sponsored by PSB for ensuring their timely boarding,” stated the PSB letter.

This scribe contacted Secretary POA Khalid Mehmood to seek his views. “The PSB is asking for the copies because they need to give them to the airline they booked tickets with,” said Khalid. He added that as per Olympic Activity Plan the tickets of the entire contingent were supposed to be booked by June 11 and the arrival plan had to be sent to the Tokyo Olympics Organising Committee.

“We had a meeting with the Director General PSB today and we explained to him the whole situation. He agreed to our payments and plans regarding the contingent’s departure to Japan,” said Khalid.

He said the POA explained to DG PSB that to repeat the whole procedure of sending new bookings of the contingent to the Tokyo Organising Committee was not advisable.

“The DG was told that this whole futile exercise would create issues for the Pakistani contingent,” said Khalid.