ISLAMABAD: Security in and around the Pakistan Sport Complex has been beefed up for the safety of national athletes attending a training camp for the South Asian Games scheduled to be held in Bangladesh in February 2010.

The 2010 South Asian Games, officially the 11th South Asian Federation Games, is a major event, scheduled to take place in Dhaka from January 29 to February 8.

Faik Ali, a spokesman for the Federal Sports Ministry, told Dawn: ‘Providing security to the 230 athletes, who reported for training at the camp is our prime concern.’

Pakistan has witnessed several sports tragedies in the recent past including the one in March when terrorists attacked the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team. It was after the Sri Lankan cricket team incident that citing their security concerns, several foreign teams, no matter what sport they played, either postponed or cancelled their scheduled tours to Pakistan.

‘We have increased invisible security and contained several security loopholes with Secretary Sports Anis ul Husnain and Pakistan Sports Board [PSB] Director General Amir Hamza Gilani also conducting surprise visits to the facility in order to check the level of security there,’ he said.

The official added: ‘No one other than federal government officials will be allowed to enter the complex while members of the facility are required to show their membership cards at the PSB entry gate.

‘Female athletes have already been issued security guidelines while armed security officials have been deployed within the PSB.

‘Only the PSB main gate (No. 1) will be used for entry and exit from the PSB,’ said the spokesman.

While commenting on the security of the PSB coaching centres at Lahore and Karachi, he said: ‘The concerned heads at the sports facilities at Lahore and Karachi have already been advised to implement strong security within the facility.’

He informed that sports journalists, too, would also be issued security passes.