KARACHI: The announcement of hosting back-to-back National Beach Games and the long-awaited 17th Sindh Games by the Sindh government has raised quite a few eyebrows as top sportspersons will be unable to compete due to their participation in the fourth Islamic Solidarity Games at Baku from May 12-22.

According to an announcement, the Beach Games will take place at the Sea View on May 13 and 14 while the Sindh Games are slated to be held from May 20-24.

The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) postponed the launch of the National Beach Games many times in the past after allotting the mega event to the Sindh Olympic Association (SOA).

After the Beach Games failed to see the light of the day at the Karachi beach, the POA awarded the games to another affiliated unit, Navy, to organise it at Gawadar.

It is yet to be seen when and where the POA’s inaugural National Beach Games finally take place.

“The timings of the two events are not appropriate on two counts – firstly, the country’s top athletes will not be able to compete in the Beach Games and secondly the intermediate and O’Levels examinations are in progress,” eminent sports official and president of the Pakistan Table Tennis Federation (PTTF) S.M.Sibtain told Dawn.

It is regrettable that the Sindh Games have not taken place for the last five years after the demise of former Sindh Sports Minuster and the SOA president Dr Mohammad Ali Shah. The last event was held at Hyderabad in 2012.

Terming the two events as ill-planned and without any direction, the sources alleged that it is an attempt to spend the hefty amount of funds before the fiscal year ends.

They also added that it will not be wise to hold these games under scorching heat with persistent power failures in the city.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2017