KARACHI: Arif Ali Khan Abbasi’s profile is such that there can’t be talk of just one sport when he’s around.

Even though the moderator insisted during a news conference here at the Karachi Press Club on Tuesday that questions should be restricted to golf only, there were invariably questions from the CEO of the Arabian Sea Country Club regarding the plight of other sports in Pakistan.

Arif, a former cricket and hockey chief of the country, was there to announce the start of the 21st Sindh Open Golf Championship at the Arabian Sea Country Club from August 16 but was asked about ways in which sports federations should work towards uplifting their respective games in the country.

Sindh Open Golf to tee off from 16th

“They should generate corporate sponsorships,” said Arif. “That’s the only way forward.”

He insisted that federations should be more proactive and asking the government for grants to revive the sports was a thing of the past.

“It was during my time as the CEO of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that I went to the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and asked them to keep the funds they were sending our way,” he informed. “We had made the PCB a self-sufficient organisation.”

He claimed that the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) could do well by being proactive and having a plan to rope in long-term sponsors.

“I’ve generated so much money for golf tournaments and I don’t think it is so difficult to do that in hockey,” he said.

This year’s Sindh Open carries a prize purse of Rs 3 million with Arif’s dedication towards improving golf standards in the country indicated by the fact that all participating professional golfers will be provided accommodation at the Arabian Sea Club.

“In most golf courses in Pakistan, the professional golfers aren’t even allowed in the club house since they aren’t members,” said Arif. “But we have made it a point that the golfers are given residence at the club during the tournament.”

Sindh Golf Association (SGA) president Asad I.A. Khan recalled that the inaugural edition of the Sindh Open had a prize money of only Rs0.3million.

“We’ve certainly come a long way and hopefully we will go beyond this,” he remarked.

Giving details of the tournament, he said that the professionals and amateurs will play three rounds with senior professionals, senior amateurs, junior professionals and ladies playing two rounds each.

“We will have another junior category playing amongst the amateurs this time in a move to promote young and aspiring golf players,” Asad informed. “They will be given separate awards.”

Matloob Ahmed, who ended Shabbir Iqbal’s four-year stranglehold over the Sindh Open crown last year, will be defending his crown.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2019