ISLAMABAD, April 1: The executive committee of the South Asian Sports Federation (SASF) on Thursday decided to change its own name and that of the SAF Games, the 10th edition of which was officially awarded to Sri Lanka.

The SASF will from now on become the South Asian Olympic Committee (SAOC) and the regional event to be staged in 2005 will be called the South Asian Games (SAG).

Lt. Gen Syed Arif Hasan, the head of the one-going SAF Games, who chaired the meeting told journalists that the new name of the SASF was more in line with other regional bodies.

The next Games will feature 19 sports, four more than Islamabad 2004, including the disciplines of archery and judo. "The exact details, the dates will be decided at the next meeting," said Arif, who was recently elected the president of Pakistan Olympic Association (POA).

The meeting, attended by the delegates of eight countries including India also formed a committee to review the constitution and give recommendations. "The constitution, we thought required changes and it is because of this that the committee was constituted."

"Also the existing constitution does not have the subject of doping and the house agreed to adopt the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) booklet prepared by Pakistan that has been approved by World Anti Doping Authority."

The next meeting of the South Asian Olympic Committee will take place in two month's time. Meanwhile Arif said that President Pervez Musharraf had given him the task of preparing a plan for infrastructure development and this would be done once the SAF Games were over.