PSB almost botched Pakistan’s participation in Tokyo Olympics
July 15, 2021
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.
Daily Times
July 14, 2021
LAHORE: The 14th edition of the South Asian Games (SAG) will be held in Pakistan’s cities of Lahore, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Islamabad in 2023. The 14th South Asian Games had originally been expected to take place in 2021 but the coronavirus pandemic has delayed those plans. Pakistan has hosted the event twice before in Islamabad in 2004 and 1989. Nepal’s cities of Kathmandu and Pokhara staged the last South Asian Games, 13th edition, in 2019. A virtual meeting of the South Asian Olympic Council (SAOC), regarding the 14th SAG, was held on Tuesday. The meeting was hosted by the National Olympic Committee Pakistan under the Chairmanship of Lt Gen (r) Syed Arif Hasan, who is also President of the SAOC and President of the Pakistan Olympic Association. The meeting was held in a virtual mode due to travel restrictions. The Council’s meeting was attended by the Presidents and Secretaries General of the SAOC countries to discuss various matters
July 11, 2021
KARACHI: The entire Olympics-bound Pakistan contingent was on Saturday taken on board and were briefed about various matters regarding their training, implementation of the Covid SOPs, travelling to Tokyo and their stay there.
The meeting was attended by all 22 members, including ten players and 12 officials. Of the people 14 were present physically while the rest were taken online. Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) secretary Khalid Mehmmod told âThe Newsâ that Japan-based judoka Shah Hussain was also taken online and his various issues were listened to.
Those players and officials, who are scheduled to fly out of Islamabad for Tokyo on July 16, were also advised to reach the federal capital three days before departure so that they could also collect different things from the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and make solid travelling arrangements.
Daily Times
July 2, 2021
LAHORE: The Pakistan Olympic Association, led by Lt Gen (r) Syed Arif Hasan, has saved Pakistan from further embarrassment caused by the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) regarding national track and field athlete Ms Najma Parveen. Parveen, who represented Pakistan at the Rio Olympics 2016 in 200 meters, was not considered for Universality Place Quota for the Tokyo Olympics by the AFP. The AFP, with malafide intention, did not nominate her for participation in the Tokyo Olympics without consulting any stakeholder –– neither the athlete nor the POA, which is directly responsible for the finalisation and dispatch of the national contingent to the Olympics.
Pakistan was suspended by FIFA in April. Reuters/File
KARACHI: Global football body FIFA isn’t flinching. Nor is Ashfaq Shah, the court-elected president of the Pakistan Football Federation, whose takeover of the PFF headquarters from the FIFA-appointed PFF Normalisation Committee forced a suspension on Pakistan.
Something will have to give, most likely a fresh round of discussions, to see an end to the crisis that has plagued Pakistan football for the best part of the last decade.
The power play between Ashfaq’s group of officials and the PFF NC will go on at least for three more months after FIFA on Thursday announced the extension of the mandate of the committee until September.