Pakistan Olympics Association adds golf, baseball in its fold
Pakistan Times Sports Desk

LAHORE: The Pakistan Olympics Association (POA) has given affiliation to two new sports federations and also planning to reduce the number of non-Olympics sports from its heavy Executive Committee.

Addressing a press conference after the Executive Committee meeting here Saturday, POA President Gen Arif Hassan said that the house has also decided to raise the number of women representation in the Olympics movement.

"It's in the interest of our sports that women participation should be increased by 20 per cent. For that all the federations have been given December 31 deadline to have women representation in their federate.

The step has being taken as the International Olympics Committee (IOC) wants to give equal rights for women and the house has approved 20 per cent quota for females.

"We have made it mandatory for every federation to have at least one female in its ranks and if any of the body fails to meet the deadline, the POA has planned a penalty on them," said Gen Arif.

Giving agenda of the meeting, he said that the association will supervise the elections of the Pakistan Bodybuilding Federation inviting all the disputing parties to take part in it, which he promised to be open and transparent.

While on two other similar disputing federations of basketball and table tennis, he said that the POA would come to basketball soon while take steps towards table tennis only after court orders.

Talking about affiliation to two new federations, the POA president said that the association has some requirements and the Pakistan Golf Federation has met that requirement and was given affiliation. While the Pakistan Federation of Baseball and Softball has been adhered in the Olympics fold after the directives of the courts.

"The court found the federation led by President Shaukat Javed and Secretary Khawar Shah genuine," he informed. Here it must be kept in mind that the baseball federation applied for the affiliation nearly 10 years back.

On the status of Equestrian and Sailing federations, Gen Arif said that the officials of the latter organisation have promised to complete the requirements by December and the POA in its next meeting after scrutiny will give them affiliation.

He also highlighted the POA's plan of making amendments in the constitution. "There are some issues the IOC constitution have and we don't have when there are some other things that are giving us functional problems. We have put up the plan before the executive committee and later it will be discussed in the general council meeting," he said.

Coming to one of the toughest questions regarding swimming affairs, Gen Arif said that the POA has no problem as long as the players bear the travel expenses of participating in foreign tournaments for the sake of gaining experience.

"I feel there is no harm in doing that at federation level. We know our athletes are nowhere and wont be winners instantly. We are rock bottom and there is no way down. We need to go up and build up in not overnight," said he.
Going further to his answer, he said: "Give the sportsmen a break and let them perform."

Reducing the number of non-Olympics sports from the POA Executive Committee, he said that tug of war has been put aside along with bodybuilding, which is yet to elect its new members. "Olympics sports should be dominating and we have balanced it out. The Executive Committee is right now of 46 members and will be reduced," he said.

He further informed that the house also discussed and reviewed Pakistan's performance in Islamic Games held in Saudi Arabia and looking. Besides finalised disciplines for the forthcoming events.

He said that in the Islamic Games Pakistan will take part in 11 disciplines and have a contingent of 103 players and officials. The events includes athletics, badminton, golf, judo, karate, shooting, squash, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo and tennis.

Contingent for CW Games

For Commonwealth Games the contingent is not final yet. There is a 73-member in the squad, which will be reduced that will take part in swimming, athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling, gymnastics, shooting, squash, table tennis, weightlifting, hockey with majority of the members would be of hockey, he said.

Giving details of the Asian Games, Gen Arif said that Pakistan will be taking part in 118 disciplines and have an approximate 350-member contingent and the events they will participate are athletics, badminton, boxing, football, kabaddi, karate, rowing, shooting, squash, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball, weightlifting and wrestling while cycling, judo and washu are new entrants, he added.

To a question on parallel bodies, he said that people with personal interest and selfish motives form parallel bodies. Its interesting to note here that the POA along with Pakistan Sports Board held the election of Pakistan Swimming Federation in a hush-hush manner when one organisation was already operative but later they stepped down.

Talking about grants of the associations, he informed that it has been revived and with increased budget.●