May 22, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 16, 1429

LAHORE, May 21: The Punjab Olympic Association (POA) seems to be in open confrontation with its parent body the National Olympic Association (NOC) over the issue of patronising parallel bodies.

The Punjab Amateur Basketball Association (Khalid Bashir Group) and Bodybuilding Association (Khawaja Nadim Group), although already recognised by the Punjab Olympic Association, have their national federations affiliated to other bodies from the province, thus promoting parallelism.

While talking to reporters after the POA general body meeting here on Wednesday, President Syed Shahid Ali and Secretary Khwaja Idrees Ahmed said that the meeting decided to put a strict check on such kind of parallelism within the association.

“The Punjab Bodybuilding Association (Khawaja Nadim Group) and Punjab Amateur Basketball Association (Khalid Bashir Group) are our recognised bodies and we will be writing to the Pakistan Olympic Association to give them affiliation to end their old affiliation,” Syed Shahid Ali said.

“The POA will not encourage the creation of bogus or parallel bodies and we will not grant affiliation to any such body and the entire members of the general body condemns the vested interests of people who are forming parallel bodies,” Shahid said.

Though the issue of both these associations is old, but with the current political change in the country after the general elections on Feb 18, the National Olympic Association’s current hierarchy may face a revolt like situation from some people sidelined in the last eight years.

Also present in the general body meeting was the NOC secretary Abdul Khaliq Khan as advisor of the POA. But when some members criticised the NOC role of patronising parallelism, Abdul Khaliq preferred leaving the venue.