LAHORE: The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has set a new example in the history of country’s sports by pulling out basketball teams from the national contingent, just eight days before athletes showcase their skills at the fourth Islamic Solidarity Games.

The Games are scheduled to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan from May 12 to 22.

The 189-strong Pakistan contingent -- comprising players and officials — approved by the PSB on Thursday for the Games did not contain national male and female basketball teams and their six officials.

The PSB on Thursday announced the final contingent for Baku in which six officials of the contingent besides the basketball male and female teams -- each consisting of four players and one coach -- are not included.

Interestingly, the basketball players attended the training camp for the Islamic Solidarity Games at Islamabad’s PSB Complex for three months.

However, to their utter disappointment, the basketball players heard the sad news -- at the time of the players’ departure -- that they were not part of the contingent.

Though Pakistan Basketball Federation (PBF) secretary Khalid Bashir was not willing to make any comment on the PSB decision, Pakistan Olympic Association secretary Khalid Mahmood said the POA was taking up the matter with the PSB.

“We just came to know through media about the decision of pulling out the basketball players from the contingent. Therefore, we can’t make any comment. Our first priority will be to send the basketball teams to Baku with the PSB support,” Khalid Bashir said.

Meanwhile, POA secretary Khalid Mahmood said, “We received the names of the members of contingent in which six officials of the contingent, besides the basketball teams are not included. We are in touch with the PSB to know the actual reason behind this decision [of excluding basketball teams] and hopefully all members will go to Baku.”

Dawn learnt that most of the male and female players of the basketball squads are students engaged with different universities. For the Baku assignment, some of them even skipped their examination; and now their all-of-a-sudden exclusion from the contingent has left them in complete despair.

The girls of the basketball team were picked up after holding trials in Karachi while separate trials for selecting male contestants were organised in Lahore.

It is also learnt that the contingent has been cut due to financial constraints.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2017