ISLAMABAD, Jan 8: The Director Technical of the 9th SAF Games, Lt. Col Muhammad Yahya said on Wednesday that the postponement of the regional event may have given them more time to prepare yet they have had to start a number of things all over again.

With the Games now only a stone’s throw away the technical aspects are almost complete. “You can say that 95 per cent of the equipment required has arrived.”

A brand new tartan track for athletics was installed last year at the Jinnah Stadium which will stage the track and field events. Similarly equipment for other sports like rowing, wrestling, badminton and volleyball has also been imported from abroad.

Explaining the problems that came with the postponement of the Games last year, Yahya said that work on open venues like swimming, the Jinnah Stadium etc would have to be done again. “The tartan track will have to be washed, the Stadium is being given another facelift and similarly work on the swimming facility is also being done.”

Likewise, Army Stadium in Rawalpindi that will now stage the kabaddi competitions, was being spruced up, Yahya said. “The sport will now take place on mats,” he disclosed. Kabaddi previously was to be held in Islamabad.

Another new venue to have been added is the ordnance town of Wah which will now host wrestling events of the March 29 to April 7 Games.

Yahya felt that the postponement could have upset the rhythm of the athletes. “In my opinion they were peaking at just the right time, having trained abroad but then came the unfortunate postponement.”

Thanks to the chairman of the SAF Games Organising Committee (SGOC), Lt. Gen Syed Arif Hasan, a number of Pakistani teams were sent abroad for training in preparation for the Games last year. Among them were the boxers, wrestlers, weightlifters and swimmers to name only a few. The players had achieved valuable exposure and training on those tours.

Another big problem related to the postponement, Yahya explained was that all the publications, application forms, technical handbooks etc went redundant. “Everything from forms to books had to be published again because new dates had to be put in and in a number of cases the names of the officials had to be changed.”

The forms and other material has now been sent to the participating countries whose number has now increased from seven to eight following the inclusion of Afghanistan.

The war-torn country will be formally inducted at the South Asian Sports Federation meeting being held in Rawalpindi Thursday.

With Afghanistan’s arrival, almost 2000 athletes and team officials will attend the Games in which 529 medals will be at stake in 15 disciplines.

With the involvement of as many as 6000 people including school children, the opening and closing ceremonies of the 9th SAF Games promise to be colourful and spectacular that would showcase Pakistan as a truly progressive nation to the outside world.

The man incharge of the ceremonies Brig Arif Rasul says that they want to produce the best, with a new vigour by making using of new technology and see the Games take off in style.

The Games which open on March 29 and close on April 7, unfortunately have had to be postponed twice. First because of the events that followed 9/11 and then again when tensions between Pakistan and India rose over the disputed Kashmir region.

But now the SAF Games Organising Committee is gearing up again and before those grand opening and closing ceremonies take place, the SGOC would test its operational capabilities at the official launch of the Games on Thursday in Islamabad.

Brig Arif agrees it will be their first big test. “Yes this event would be an indication for the people of what to expect in the actual ceremonies.”

The launching to be held at the impressive Liaquat Gymnasium will be graced by President General Pervez Musharraf and the delegates of the South Asian Sports Federation.

“It would be a short, crisp ceremony,” says Brig Arif while disclosing that the launching was thought important because there had been a visible loss of interest among the people after two postponements. “There was a need to create a hype and get the people involved again.”

The event would see the unveiling of the SAF music album featuring such top names as Hadiqa Kiyani, Shahzad Roy and Najam Shiraz. “Each song will convey the theme of the Games.”

An aerobic sports medley involving young boys and girls, inflatable Games mascots Bholu, the brown bear and Sassi the Indus Dolphin and a spectacular fireworks display would be some of the other features of the ceremony.

Also, the Games organisers plan to honour the medal winners of the Commonwealth and Asian Games, veteran sportsmen, sponsors and leading artists.