Keeping a tab on the activities of the sports federations, especially the POA, is necessary
The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA), the organization believed by many sports commentators to be responsible for the over all decline of the standard of sports in the country, has so far remained immune from any sort of accountability.
Neither the Senate’s Standing Committee on Sports nor the the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Sports has ever questioned the affairs of the POA. The premier sports association in the country, over two dozen national federations and the four provincial Olympic associations are affiliated with the POA. With so much responsibility there should be some questioning. But despite the fact that both the standing committees have the power to do so, they have so far failed to exercise this option.
Recently the Senate’s committee probed into the workings of the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Pakistan Hockey Federation, especially after the debacle at last year’s Olympics. But they haven’t delved into the affairs of any other sports body.
Apart from investigating the POA’s activities, the committees should also probe into the affairs of the Pakistan Boxing Federation. Our pugilists too, weren’t at the top of their game in Athens, despite an unprecedented grant of Rs10 million that was given to the Pakistan Boxing Federation, as part of their preparation for Athens. This was the biggest grant ever given to any federation in the country. But even after the lapse of six months, no probe has been initiated to find out why our boxers couldn’t perform like they were suppose to. In fact, a probe into the affairs of the national federations will provide a lot of information to the people into the working of our sports administrations. And the POA is No 1 in this regard.
It is on record that the POA heavily relied on PSB funding for almost every foreign tour but did not allow government interference in its affairs, as that would have been against the IOC charter.
That era ended after the current president, Arif Hasan came at the helm of affairs at the POA. This was followed by the resignation of the POA’s Secretary, Latif Butt that also ended the hold of the powerful sports mafia that failed to develop and promote sports on scientific lines.
The PSB directors general, barring a few, have over the years wasted a lot of public funding by sending POA squads to the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, the Asia Games and the SAF Games. In many cases, substandard athletes were picked who stood no chance of winning anything. Subsequently, the PSB became party to POA joy riders as a good number of DGs also toured along with Pakistan squads. The money spent there, could have been better spent on the development of sports infrastructure in the country. But that was before Arif Hasan took charge of things.
A keen sports enthusiast, he is looking to work towards the promotion of sports in the country, especially after the successful conclusion of the Islamabad SAF Games held in March-April last year.
Now the federal government has allocated enormous funds for the development of the games and impartial observers are entertaining hopes that the public’s money would not be wasted again. In fact, let the POA generate its own funds for its squads.
The POA chief, Arif Hasan would do a great service to national sports if he could initiate an independent committee to probe into the working of all the units affiliated to it. The probe should include holding of competitions by the federations as well as by its provincial associations and other units.
All the provincial associations, that are also affiliated with their respective federations, have failed to promote their respective sports. Instead, federations provide protection to officials who, it is said, are more loyal to the federations highups rather than to the provincial sports promotion. This state of affairs have prevailed for almost three decades now.
Let the provincial sports bodies work independently with no interference by the federations. The present system of controlling provincial sports by the federations and the POA through its provincial Olympic associations is a big hurdle in the development of the games in the provinces.
The provinces should at least be given freedom to run their affairs without which the games cannot be promoted. The outdated and old policy of controlling provincial sports by federations and the POA would not serve the cause of sports.
Keeping a tab on the activities of the sports federations, especially the POA, is necessary 
