Daily Times

LAHORE: The opening ceremony of the Jakarta Asian Games is just three weeks away and athletes from various countries are all set to compete in the mega event. However, changes to the Pakistan contingent for the Asian Games are still going on. The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has cut 140 out of 300 personnel from the contingent, following which the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) has called an urgent meeting of all participating federations at the Olympic House in Lahore on July 23. In a previous meeting, PSB officials confirmed sponsoring 300 athletes and staff after both parties had agreed on a contingent strength of 397 personnel. However, according to the recent meeting the PSB has said it will not be sponsoring football, gymnastics, table tennis and non-affiliated sports. Therefore only personnel whose accreditation is completed in time will be able to participate.

According to the PSB, Federal Minster for Inter-Provincial Coordination has decided to sponsor a maximum 140 members of the Pakistan contingent for participation in the Asian Games. Expressing his anger over the cuts, Pakistan Badminton Federation secretary general Wajid Ali said: “It is an alarming situation for all the federations. If players will not get the chance to compete on this platform, how can they become medalists? The government should ban all sports in country.” Moreover, the PSB has not paid for the accommodation of the athletes despite the deadline fast approaching.

“It’s not a big issue, we are in negotiations with the POA on this matter, we will deposit this amount after getting a final contingent list from them in the coming days,” said a PSB official. Last minute withdrawals from the Asian Games will incur heavy fines and could lead to a ban on participation in the future. “We have to follow all rules and regulations of the Games if we want to continue participating,” said a POA official. The Asian Games is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The event is recognised by the International Olympic Committee and will be taking place from August 18 to September 2.

Published in Daily Times, July 21^st 2018.