08 March 2005	Tuesday	26 Muharram 1426

LAHORE, March 7: Pakistan may bid for hosting the Islamic Countries Solidarity Games for men, Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) president Lt. Gen. Arif Hasan disclosed during a press conference on Monday.

"A high-level committee is being formed to analyse the possibility of holding Islamic Countries Solidarity Games in Pakistan and we will discuss it with Syed Shahid Ali (the IOC representative in Pakistan) and others and I think it is possible after having some improved infrastructure," the POA president said.

Saudi Arabia is holding the first edition of the Islamic Games in April this year in four different cities - Makkah, Madina, Taif and Jeddah. "If we follow the pattern of Saudi Arabia in selecting the cities, Pakistan have the infrastructure in Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar and other facilities could be built in these cities.

"The motorways from Peshawar to Islamabad is under construction and from Lahore to Islamabad already exists, so the travelling among these cities will not be a problem if selected as venues," he said.

He said that he would attend the Islamic countries sports body executive committee meeting in Saudi Arabia on March 31 to discuss the possibility of bidding for the Games. The president said that the training camps were in full swing to prepare the Pakistan teams for the Islamic Games.

The training camp, he added, would continue after the Islamic Games for one year intensive training to prepare the players for the next SAF Games to be held in Sri Lanka in April 2006, he said.

He said that Pakistan Sports Trust had been set up with an initial capital of Rs 50 million and it would start working from the first week of May. The president said that the Pakistan Sports Academy would also start working at Islamabad from Sept 1.

"Around 90 to 100 students from all over the country will get admission and the responsibility of their education and sports training will be of the government," he said.

He said that the government was expanding the sports infrastructure in the country and the projects worth Rs 400 million were already in progress. "Gymnasiums, stadiums and other sports related facilities are being constructed both in big and small districts of the country," he said.

He said that from now on, the annual grant of the national sports federations would be decided on the report of the POA performances evaluation committee. The committee could also suggest replacing the office-bearers if it considered the performance of a federation below par, he said.