August 24, 2002	Saturday	Jamadi-us-Saani 14, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 23: The organisers of next month’s CNS International Championship in Karachi have run into problems because of Ideas 2000 prompting the squash managers to request the Professional Squash Association (PSA) for delaying the event by four days.

The dates of the Ideas expo clash directly with the Sept 19 to 24 championship and the organisers Pakistan Navy have suddenly found that there’s no accommodation available in the port city.

“There are just no rooms available in all the major hotels which have already been booked for Ideas and we have now been left with no choice but to ask the PSA for moving the event a bit further,” Pakistan Squash Federation secretary Wing Commander Sajid Waheed told Dawn.

“We sent out the request this afternoon and are hoping that the PSA responds quickly by delaying the championship.”

The organisers now want the event to start on Sept 23, two days after the Ideas expo concludes with September 29 proposed as the finish date.

Sajid said that managers of a leading hotel in the city had given them word that there would be plenty of rooms available during the course of the championship but had backed out.

“It is not that we were not aware of Ideas being held but we didn’t realise that things would turn so bad accommodation-wise.”

There are at least six foreigners who are to compete in the main round of the $25,000 championship while there will be another 10 appearing in the qualifiers.

The foreign players will come from countries including Australia, Britain, The Netherlands, Singapore and Egypt.

Sajid said that if the PSA did not agree to their request, they would have to compromise on the standard of the hotel.