ISLAMABAD, April 3: Pakistan have been awarded the right to stage the third South Asia Swimming Championship for women next year.

The newly-elected officials of the South Asia Swimming Federation (SASF), who held their executive committee meeting here on Friday also approved other major events to be held next year and in 2006.

Officials said that after 2006, the championships would be conducted in the alternate year of South Asian Games by Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka respectively.

The following events were approved:

Third South Asia (SA) Championship for women (July 2005), third SA championship for men in Bangladesh (Sept-Oct 2005), SA Championship for men & women in India (2006), SA Junior Championship in Nepal (Sept 2006).

Meanwhile, in an earlier meeting in Islamabad, the following office-bearers of the SASF were elected for the next term:

President -Virendra Nanavati (India); vice presidents-Shahabuddin Ahmed (Bangladesh), Ashok Bazra Charya (Nepal), KV Sharma ((India), Shabeer Ahmed (Maldives), Wyvill Scarnivell (Sri Lanka); secretary general- Kamran Butt (Pakistan); associate secretaries general- Syed Aminul Haque Dewan (Bangladesh), Jagat Dhakwa (Nepal), Rifdy Farmy (Sri Lanka), Mrs Veena Masud (Pakistan); honorary treasurer-Mrs Fatima Lakhani (Pakistan). Members of executive committee-KN Kapur (India), Rejaul Hossain Badsha (Bangladesh), ANE Tshering Sherpa (Nepal), Rajiev Senanya (Sri Lanka), Moosa Zameer Hassan (Maldives), Mrs Laila Noor. Honorary life member-Muhammad Latif Butt (Pakistan), Khawaja M. Sultanul Aziz (Bangladesh).