LAHORE: The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) has alleged that the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has violated the Lausanne Agreement signed between the Government of Pakistan and the International Olympic Council by off-loading a table tennis team sent by legitimate body of the Pakistan Table Tennis Federation on Thursday.

The six-member men and women national team were to travel to Sweden to participate in the World Championship, being held from April 29 to May 6. However, when it reached at the Lahore Airport in the wee hours of Thursday and got the boarding cards, the immigration staff refused to give them clearance at the behest of the federal sports ministry.

In the men’s section, national champion Aasim Qureshi and number two Ramiz Khan were to leave from Pakistan while as third male player Faisal was to join the national team in Sweden directly from Germany.

Among the females, all three — Ayesha Sharjeel, Mahmood Haider and Fatima Khan — were to leave from Pakistan but were off-loaded.

Meanwhile, in a letter sent to PSB Director General Amer Ali Ahmad, POA secretary Khalid Mahmood wrote:”We understand that due to the governmental interference, Pakistan table tennis team entered by the legitimate Pakistan Table Tennis Federation (PTTF) has been offloaded on the behest of an illegal body being supported by the PSB. This is in violation of the directions of Government of Pakistan which clearly states that only those national federations shall be recognized by PSB which are affiliated or recognized by their respective International Federations (IF).”

“In this regard your kind attention is invited towards the Government of Pakistan letter to IOC, dated 03 July, 2014 attached at Annex-B. The para 2 iv of the letter is reproduced for ease of reference: “We agree with the point that the only Sports Federations recognized by their respective IFs are to be considered as genuine federations. Instructions have been accordingly communicated to PSB. However, all National Federations have to seek affiliation with PSB as per prescribed criteria.”

Khaid said the affairs of PTTF in entirety stand in contradiction to above clause as the Pakistan Sports Board is illegally recognizing a sham body created by the losing candidates of the elections held on January 7, 2018.

He said the POA reiterates its position that PTTF headed by S.M. Sibtain is the only legitimate federation which was and is still affiliated with Pakistan Olympic Association and is recognised by ITTF as well.

The POA secretary further said the incident of off-loading the athletes is not only illegal but violates the fundamental rights of citizens as well as the rights of athletes protected by the Olympic Charter.

“This is an unprecedented incident that has caused a huge embarrassment for Pakistan in the international fraternity of sports and Olympics. I fear if this case is formally lodged with IOC Athletes Commission or at other relevant forums, it shall damage the national image in sporting world to a new low,” Khalid warned.

“Had the directions of Ministry of IPC, issued in concurrence with Lausanne Agreement, been complied with, we would not have witnessed this untoward incident. Needless to add that PSB letter dated 09-04-2018 attached in Annex-A does violate its own directions,” he concluded.

It is also pertinent to mention that recently a table tennis team was supported by PSB to participate in South Asian Junior Cadet & Hopes Table Tennis Championships 2018 at Maldives - again in violation of Lausanne Agreement with GoP, IOC, OCA, ASOIF and POA.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2018