LAHORE, July 20: The Punjab Olympic Association (PbOA) officially announced on Friday that it will hold the 32nd National Games here from Oct 21 to 27.

In an official statement of the PbOA, the sports selection committee has included 26 different games, including 23 for men and 10 for women. The participating units will be informed directly by the Pakistan Olympic Association shortly about the commencement of the National Games.

The Sports Selection Committee of PbOA has selected following disciplines: athletics (men and women), badminton (men and women), baseball (men), basketball (women), boxing (men), cycling (men and women), football (men), gymnastics (men and women), handball (men), hockey (men), judo (men), ju-jitsu (men), kabaddi (men), karate (women), netball (women), rifle shooting (men), rugby (men), squash (men and women), swimming (men), table tennis (men and women), taekwondo (men), tug of war (men), volleyball (men), weightlifting (men), wrestling (men) and wushu (men and women).

Some events of the National Games will also be held in Faisalabad and Multan and remaining in Lahore.

Earlier, the Games were in doldrums as the Punjab Sports Board and PbOA were at the loggerheads. PbOA was insisting on holding the games in its traditional way, according to which the government has to hand over funds to it to make all the arrangements, while the Sports Board Punjab wanted to have full control over the finances.

But the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) backed its Punjab chapter and warned that the games could be taken back from Punjab if the Punjab Sports Board continued to meddle in the affairs of the national gala.

The opening and closing ceremonies, however, will be held by the Punjab Sports Board.