ISLAMABAD, April 26: The head of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has hit back at the country’s tennis chief over accusations that his medal-winning players had been ignored. “There is no doubt that tennis has made us proud at the Islamic Games but to say that due recognition has not been given to the players is not right,” Brig. Arif Mahmud Siddiqui told Dawn on Tuesday.

The war of words was started by Syed Dilawar Abbas, president of the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF), who last week accused both the PSB and the national Olympic association (POA) of not even bothering to acknowledge the efforts of his players.

“Aisamul Haq and Aqeel Khan saved Pakistan the humiliation of returning empty-handed from the inaugural Islamic Games in Saudi Arabia by landing three gold and a bronze.

“Probably Dilawar is not aware that I wrote to the sports ministry just as the Games ended, asking them that the prime minister host the team and give them cash awards for their brilliant achievement.”

But Arif said that it was not Dilawar’s domain to criticise Pakistan’s performance in other disciplines at the Games. “He shouldn’t have been talking about other sports; it is the domain of the PSB and POA.”

He pointed out that the reception to welcome the players at the Lahore Airport was arranged collectively by the PSB and POA. “So warm was the welcome that Aisam is on record to have said that he felt as if he were a cricket player.”

The cash awards recommended by the PSB for the players would be equivalent to those given to the medal-winning athletes at the SAF Games.

“Since the Islamic Games cannot be equated with the Olympic and the Asian Games which entitle a gold winner to Rs 10m and Rs 5m respectively, we took the SAF Games as the yardstick.”

Arif maintained that during the course of the Games, he was regularly talking to the team officials on phone. “To say that we were not bothered about the players is totally wrong.”

“If medals had been the only criterion, our contingent would not have been of more than 12 athletes. Let the players get exposure, let them lose, they will start winning soon.”

Pakistan who finished 11th on the medals table, competed in 10 disciplines at the Games that included besides tennis, volleyball, football, athletics, taekwondo, karate, table tennis, basketball, swimming and handball.