September 18, 2003	Thursday	Rajab 20, 1424

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LAHORE, Sept 17: Indian Olympic Association (IOC) is trying to convince Delhi not to end sports activities with Pakistan due to political problems between the two neighbouring countries.

“Sporting relations between the two countries should remain intact under all circumstances as I believe sports is a channel through which friendship and peace can be developed in the region” said Suresh Kalmadi the IOC president, while speaking to reporters on arrival in Lahore on Wednesday accompanied by a five-member delegation.

The Indian delegation is here to attend the South Asia Sports Federation  (SASF) extra-ordinary meeting to be held here on Thursday to decide the host and dates of the ninth SAF Games.

All SARC member countries are attending the meeting.

Kalmadi agreed with a questioner that India always stopped sports activities first but claimed now his  body  was pressurising the Indian government not to suspend sports activities with Pakistan.

“I hope the Indian government has been convinced and for that reason I am here with the delegation”, Kalmadi added.

He said that IOC and Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) had been showing solidarity at the International  Olympic Committee (IOC) and Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) levels  and achieved some success.

“We always contest the case of Asia at IOC level and SAF  region case at Olympic Council of Asia jointly with great solidarity and have been quite succesful.

“India  always  found  Pakistan to be a dependable friend at international sports forum”, Kalmadi added.

He said that it was Pakistan which had first sent its entries for the first  Afro-Asian Games which India was hosting at Hyderabad from Oct 24 to Nov 1, this year.

To yet another question, IOC official said that he believed the SAF Games would not be postponed this time.

“I believe the planning and working for the SAF Games will work out this time and you will see Indian contingent taking part in the Games at Islamabad”, he declared  while mentioning his support for Pakistan as host of the Games.

Kalmadi remarked that the postponement of the SAF Games thrice in the past was not a good sign, but added the Afro-Asian Games had been postponed five times.

He said that with the resumption of  sports relations between India and Pakistan, sports like hockey, wrestling, kabbadi, swimming  and athletics and even cricket  would get a great boost in this region.

“Pakistan and India can fight for first and second position at Olympic level in hockey if both start activity on  bilateral basis and same is the case with other sports”, IOC president said.

He also welcomed the proposal presented to him by the Pakistan  Cycling Federation secretary Khawaja Idrees Hyder for arranging a “Peace Cycle Race” from Rawalpindi to New Delhi.

Idrees who is also the secretary Punjab Olympic Association, also  proposed to hold Punjab Games on rotation basis,  between eastern and western Punjab. However, Kalmadi did not mention it.

Asked if India brought any proposal to increase the number of games of  the SAF event, Kalmadi said that the  point could be discussed in Thursday’s meeting.

“Our first priority is to host the ninth edition of the games successfully and number of sports is not a major issue for us”, he claimed.

Kalmadi will not attend the meeting due to his departure to The Philippines to preside over the Asian Athletics  Federation meeting there on Friday. However, he will meet the SAF  Games organising committee chairman Lt. Gen. Arif Hasan before leaving.

Earlier, POA and SAF Games secretariat officials accorded  a warm welcome to the Indian delegation when it crossed the Wagha Boarder in the morning.

Also including in the Indian delegation are IOC secretary Raja Randhir  Singh, two vice-president B.S Ojha  and Mohammad Aslam Khan and media advisor Aziz Qureshi.

A.K Matto an IOC vice president and Sandeep Mehta IOC C.P.R.O could not travel to Pakistan.

POA secretary Latif said that their  passport were not deposited at right time to the IOC.