LAHORE: The national sports federations have unanimously authorised president of the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) Arif Saeed to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for improving relationship between the federations and the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) under the IOC Charter in order to promote sports in the country, Dawn has learnt.

The POA general council, which was held in Lahore on Saturday, discussed the prevailing situation that arose after the PSB recently introduced several new rules to deal with the national federations, which are not acceptable to them.

Well-informed sources told Dawn the final resolution of the general council was that the POA president will meet the prime minister on behalf of the sports federations to settle the issues.

“The national sports federations are ready to work with the PSB, under the agreements the government of Pakistan had signed with the International Olympic Committee in 2014,” the general council decided, sources told Dawn on the condition of anonymity.

It may be mentioned here that the PSB had introduced the new rules under which it will control the election process of the national federations through its own election commissioner, who is also entitled to hear the petitions against the elections.

The federations consider it as interference by the government in the affairs of the federations, which is not allowed by the IOC Charter.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2025