Pakistan’s hosting rights for 14th South Asian Games upheld
TASHKENT: The South Asian Olympic Council (SAOC) on Tuesday retained Pakistan as the host nation for the 14th South Asian Games, scheduled to be held from March 23 to 31 next year.
The decision was taken during a high-profile meeting, attended by SAOC members on the sidelines of the 46th General Assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) here. OCA Vice President for South Asia, HRH Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck, presided over the meeting, which was also attended by the Presidents and Secretaries General of the National Olympic Committees of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and SAOC President Arif Saeed represented Pakistan at the meeting, alongside Federal Secretary of the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, who assured the Government of Pakistan’s full commitment to hosting the continental event. Wani further emphasised that the Government of Pakistan will mobilise all necessary resources to ensure the games are conducted in line with international standards and provide maximum facilities to participating athletes and officials.
He also invited South Asian countries to visit Pakistan in May this year to review the arrangements for the upcoming Games, besides strengthening the regional sports cooperation. Furthermore, it was unanimously agreed at the high-profile meeting that the sports disciplines and events will remain unchanged, finalised during the SAOC Executive Committee Meeting held in Lahore in February last year. For the unversed, the 14th South Asian Games were originally scheduled to be held March in 2023, before being successively pushed back to March 2024, then January 2026, and now 2027.
The Games will be hosted primarily in Lahore, with Faisalabad, Islamabad, and Karachi serving as supporting venues for a total of 27 sports. Sports Desk
