September 3, 2002	Tuesday	Jamadi-us-Saani24,1423

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ISLAMABAD, Sept 2: Preparations for the 9th SAF Games that had to be postponed twice are to be relaunched on Nov 2, Lt Gen Arif Hasan, head of the Games organising committee said Monday.

He told reporters in Wah that the relaunching would be done on a large scale. “We plan to hold a big function in this connection besides holding various other events.”

The SAF Games now scheduled for next March, were first postponed because of America’s war on terror following Sept 11 and then again because of heightened tension between Pakistan and India.

Gen Arif however said that no one knows what the situation would be like in March but he hoped that the Games would go ahead this time.

The general disclosed that fund-raising for the Games was on track and they would be able to meet at least 90 per cent of the target they have set for themselves. “We are still in the process of raising funds and by the time the Games start we’ll have enough.”

Arif pointed out that the SGOC had a big hand in Pakistan winning medals at the recent Commonwealth Games where boxer Haider Ali won a gold and weightlifter Muhammad Irfan captured three silver medals.

The SGOC had been generously sponsoring the weightlifters, boxers, wrestlers and a host of other sports in the run-up to the SAF Games by sending them abroad for training.

Arif said that he would continue supporting the teams and was now sponsoring the entire volleyball squad for this month’s Asian Games in Busan. “The athletics federation has also asked for assistance and we will sponsor whatever number of athletes they decide on.”

The SGOC also plans to hold a seminar on sports, probably in December for which leading sports personalities would be invited, Arif said.

Earlier he visited POF Wah and was impressed by the various facilities there but stopped short of allotting a discipline of the regional event to them.

“The facilities here can be improved further for holding international competitions for which the SAF secretariat will help but as far as staging an event here is concerned we’ll see,” said the general after visiting the different venues.

The Forum Gymnasium in Wah hosted the wrestling competition during the 4th SAF Games in 1989 besides staging international volleyball matches and other national level tournaments. The 9th edition of the Games is now again being held in Islamabad next March.

There’ll be a total of 15 sports to be contested in the SAF Games which include athletics, badminton, boxing, football, kabaddi, rifle shooting, rowing, squash, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling and karate.

The POF Wah has a fine gymnasium which can hold volleyball, basketball, badminton, wrestling, judo, karate and table tennis events while the squash complex, with minor upgradation can prove to be an equally good venue for big tournaments.