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| July 23, 2003 | Wednesday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 22, 1424 |
Organisers ready to hold games in Dec, says Gen Arif
RAWALPINDI, July 22: The Organising Committee could hold 9th SAF Games in the Pakistan capital in December this year provided the government gives a go-ahead signal, Lt. Gen. Syed Arif Hasan, said on Tuesday.
“I am pretty sure we can hold the event in December”, Chairman of 9th SAF Games Organising Committee,” he said while informally talking with newsmen after distributing awards at the maiden Brig. Rodham Junior boxing tournament at Army Stadium.
He was responding to questions in the backdrop of reports that Indian Olympic Association had asked Pakistan to regain the hosting rights for the event while Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) had also expressed its willingness to work for this purpose in the backdrop of “improved conditions”.
Gen. Arif said his organising committee needed six months to hold the Games in December as the time might also be required for the training of Pakistan contingent.
Pakistan had cancelled the 9th South Asian Federation (SAF) Games in April, later awarded to an unwilling Sri Lanka, due to “prevailing conditions”, after thrice postponing them since Sept 23, 2001.
Recently, there has been improvement in conditions as Pakistan and India took steps for the betterment of bilateral relations. Ministry of Sports is said to have prepared a summary which is now lying with Cabinet division, for taking a decision to hold the event again in the Pakistan capital.
“We have said to a query that we will be ready for the event in six months time if the green signal is given”, Gen. Arif added.
Earlier, he announced a prize of Rs. 200,000 for boxer Nauman Karim from Hero Card raffle scheme—a fund-raising project for the SAF Games and said that the lottery scheme would continue.
Nauman Karim had recently won Pakistan’s maiden bronze medal at world boxing championship in Thailand.
Also present on the occasion was President of Pakistan Amateur Boxing Federation, Prof. Anwar Chaudhary, who a few months back had got Rs.10 million grant for his federation from President Gen. Pervez Musharraf after Pakistan won one gold and four silver medals at last year’s Asian Games at Busan (South Korea).
Prof. Chaudhary is also the longtime head of AIBA.
Gen. Arif also announced awards of Rs. 10,000 each for the gold medal winners of Brig. Rodham Junior boxing championship which concluded on Tuesday.—APP
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