KARACHI: President Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) General (red) Arif Hasan said on Thursday that the country will only start fetching medals in the international events when more and more youngsters start taking up sports and work hard to achieve excellence.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the first National Softball Academy here, Arif while stressing the importance of sports promotion at the grassroots level, urged the government to constitute a system under devolution plan so that all the provinces can get their share.

Responding to a query, he said that the prime minister in waiting Imran Khan has talked about the youth and hopefully budding youngsters in the field of sports will benefit from the policy.

He cited the example of couple of countries including Jamica, a small Caribbean island, whose athletes shone at the Olympics because of an effective system. At the last Rio Games, they returned with a haul of 11 medals (6-3-2).

Asked what chances he expect from Pakistani athletes in the Indonesia Asiad, he diplomatically refrained to make any comment but said the martial artists have a fair chance to excel.

In an important disclosure, Arif said that the POA has constituted the first ever anti-sexual harrasment commission in order to put an embargo on the menace in the field of sports in the country.

To be headed by Ronak Lakhani, the commission that has not been officially announced yet, also includes some eminent sports women’s and two men’s, Arif told newsmen.

The formation of commission has come in the backdrop of alleged sexual harassment complaint by women hockey player Syeda Sadia against head coach Saeed Khan in the camp in Oct last year.

The latter, however, denied the allegations.

“The commission will give a fair chance to the complainant and defendant and help curb the issue,” the POA chief added.

He further said the POA has also introduced broad-based arbitration system aimed at resolving the pending sports federation’s litigation issues.

Earlier, addressing the softball players, both boys and girls, at the Karachi Parsi Institute (KPI) ground, he asked them to avail the facilities at the academy. He cut the ribbon to formally inaugurate the academy that has been set up under the aegis of Softball Federation of Pakistan.

Arif added that he has spoken to top softball officials in the world as well as at the International Olympic committee to provide equipment and training to Pakistan players.

SFP secretary general Asif Azeem also spoke on the occasion and said the landmark achievement of establishing the softball academy has been finally been achieved and they have 13 schools registered with the academy so far including under-19 and under-14 players.

He further said that all arrangements to hold the National Softball Championship in September have been completed.

The ceremony was attended among others by SOA vice president Waseem Hashmi, Ahmed Ali Rajput, academy chairperson Tehmina Asif and Asghar Baloch.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2018