IOC throws weight behind POA

Hopes Olympic Association and Sports Board will reconcile.

KARACHI: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has officially endorsed the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) led by Lt. Gen (retd) Arif Hasan after reviewing the status of sport bodies in the country and their relationship with their respective international counterparts.

An official email was sent to the Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) Minister Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Federal Secretary to the IPC Faridullah Khan and Hasan by the IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper.

In it was stated: “It is finally expected that all disputes must be resolved and fruitful cooperation between the government authorities, the national sports federations and the POA will be established in the best interest of sports and athletes of the country.”

Earlier, the IOC had said that the sports policy must be compatible with basic principles of the Olympic Movement for sports federations and had asked the government of Pakistan to urgently review the pending issues in relation to the sports policy.

It is pertinent to mention here that Hasan had maintained that POA is an independent body which only follows Olympic Charter.

The email further read: “The sports legislation/revised sports policy will be fully compatible with basic principles and rules of the Olympic movement and allow for the national sports organisations to comply with all national and international requirements. The POA composition will no longer be called into question and all members will act strictly within the framework of the structure of POA as recognised by IOC.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 5^th, 2013.

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