LAHORE: The fifth edition of the Islamic Solidarity Games, which was to be held in Konya, Turkey in 2021, has been postponed due to clash of dates with the Tokyo Olympics 2020 now to be held in July-August 2021. “The Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF) has decided to postpone the Islamic Solidarity Games scheduled to be held next year in Konya, Turkey,” said Pakistan Olympics Association (POA) Secretary General Muhammad Khalid Mahmood on Saturday. “This decision was taken at a meeting of the ISSF Board held under the Chairmanship of Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki AlFaisal through video conference,” added Khalid. He said the postponement was made due to negative impacts of COVID-19 pandemic and was based on the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to postpone the Tokyo Olympic Games which will coincide with the dates of the Islamic Solidarity Games. “The ISSF Supervision and Coordination Commission will communicate with the Organising Committee to set new dates of the Games after keeping in view the world sports calendar.” Khalid said the Pakistan Olympic Association would update all its stakeholders in the country soon as new dates are announced by the ISSF.
The Islamic Solidarity Games is a multinational and multisport event. It involves athletes of the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC), organised by the ISSF. There are 57 members of the OIC. The mega event was created to strengthen Islamic solidarity among nations and establish principles of non-discrimination between religions, races and colours in keeping with the teachings of Islam. The first ever Islamic Solidarity Games took place in Saudi Arabia in 2005. The 2nd Islamic Solidarity Games was initially scheduled for October 2009 in Iran but was later moved to April 2010. It was later canceled because of the disagreement involving Iran and the Arab World, for using the term Persian Gulf in logos for the Games. Other Arab countries use the term “Arabian Gulf” to refer to the Persian Gulf. The rrd Islamic Games took place in Indonesia in 2013 and the fourth edition was held in 2017 in Baku, Azerbaijan from May 12-22. There are 18 sports in the Islamic Solidarity Games including football, equestrian, basketball and water polo. With the level of political fragmentation, the deficiencies in economic development in many Muslim countries, and the financial cost of the Islamic Solidarity Games, the longevity of the event will be a big challenge in coming years.