July 16, 2002	Tuesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 5, 1423

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LAHORE, July 15: The newly elected secretary of the Pakistan Badminton Federation (PBF) expressed the hope that they would not be any confrontation with the Pakistan Olympic Association in getting its new body affiliated with it.

PBF secretary Aamir Hayat Rokhari said Monday that his body was elected through elections which were conducted by the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) in Islamabad on July 12 on the orders of the Supreme Court.

“The POA is bound to give affiliation to the PBF, otherwise it will face a notice of contempt of court “, Rokhari said.

The elections were held by the PSB under the new sports policy. The POA is not accepting the new sports policy and had challenged it in a honourable court. The Punjab chapter of the POA has already refused to accept the new body of the Punjab Badminton Association which was also formed this month under the new sports policy. So it is feared the POA will not grant affiliation to the PBF.

The PBF secretary said that he would made a formal request to the POA and hoped that the POA would grant it in the better interest of the game.

He said that the after obtaining affiliation there would be no problem in sending a team to participate in the Asian Games to be held in Busan from Sept 30.

He explained that a foreign coach either from Malaysia or China would be called to impart a month’s training to Pakistani players before their participation in the Asian Games.

He outlined a tentative programme for the year 2002 pointing out that the national championship would be held at Islamabad  in October. All Pakistan ranking tournament had been scheduled to be held in Lahore in the first week of November. A youth tournament (U-18) will be held at Karachi in December.

He went on to add that the PBF would invite Sri Lanka and India to play a series of matches in 2003.