Pakistan keen to include hockey in SAG

KARACHI: Pakistan, as hosts, will vigorously press for the inclusion of hockey when the South Asia Olympic Council (SAOC) Executive Committee will meet virtually on Monday (today) to discuss various matters regarding the 14th South Asian Games.

“Yes we will go all the way for the inclusion of hockey which was missing in the last South Asian Games held in Nepal in 2019,” a highly well-placed source told ‘The News’. For inclusion of hockey, a total four votes will be required.

“We have also received recommendations from the federations of around seven more sports disciplines including baseball, rugby, bodybuilding, gymnastics and snooker. These are the sort of disciplines which were not in the previous event in Nepal. As per rules Pakistan, as hosts, can propose two disciplines for inclusion in the list of disciplines in which competitions will be conducted,” the source said.

The meeting will be chaired by the Pakistan Olympic Association's (POA) president Lt General (retd) Syed Arif Hasan.

This correspondent also learnt that Pakistan will propose October-November 2023 as the time-frame for hosting the biennial spectacle.

“It would be an ideal time-frame as if general elections are held in August then the new government will need at least a couple of months to settle down and then go for hosting the Games,” the source said.

“During this time-frame the weather will also be good,” the source said.

The competitions in the 14th South Asian Games will be held in 25 sports disciplines in various parts of Punjab and Islamabad.

This will be the third time when Pakistan will be going to host the Games after it successfully conducted the event in 1989 and 2004 in Islamabad.

Meanwhile, a POA press release said that the meeting link has already been issued to all the South Asian countries.

“The Executive Committee of SAOC will discuss the proposed number of sports to be included in the 14th South Asian Games in 2023 in Pakistan. The President SAOC would also propose the dates of the Games for the next year. The competitions will be conducted in different cities of Punjab as already agreed by the Executive Committee of SAOC. Lahore will be the headquarters for these Games,” the POA said.

The meeting will be attended by the presidents, secretaries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.