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KARACHI: The Sindh Squash Association (SSA) has strongly lamented the decision of Sindh Olympic Association (SOA) for excluding squash from the 14th Sindh Games being staged in Sukkur next month.
The SOA, in its executive committee emergency meeting on Sunday, decided to sack all the non-Olympics games from the Sindh Games.
Apart from squash, bodybuilding, kabaddi, karate, netball, chess and throwball have been excluded.
“Previously Sukkur has organised the Sindh Games in 1993 and 2007 and squash was part of the games,” SSA secretary Tahir Khanzada said in a statement issued here on Monday.
“Squash is a symbol of our national pride over the years. Our stalwarts have won us unique distinctions, laurels and an international identity to be proud of,” he said.
“Squash has proved to be Pakistan’s most consistent domain of excellence, and its players always brought honour and glory,” he said.
“The game always remained part of major sporting events like Commonwealth, Asian, South Asian and National Games in Pakistan, so dropping it was very surprising,” he said.
Squash was included for the first time in the third Sindh Games at Karachi in 1989 and since then it is part of the Sindh Games.
“The SSA contribution towards the game is known to everyone and we organised six to eight national/international events in the calendar year with around rupees three million cash incentives annually,” the SSA secretary said.
“The SSA would like to appeal to Sindh Governor Dr Ishrat-ul-Ebad, Sports Minister Dr M.A. Shah and Sports Secretary Shoaib Siddiqui to intervene and get squash included in the Games,” the SSA statement said.—APP
