South Asian Games: Pakistan all geared up for mega event

Would be looking to improve last edition’s tally of 80 medals.

KARACHI: Pakistan’s 436-member contingent is all set to take part in the 12th edition of the South Asian Games, scheduled to begin from Friday in the Indian cities of Guwahati and Shillong.

This year’s Games would consist of 23 disciplines and 228 events which would make them bigger than any of the previous editions, and would feature 2,500 athletes from eight nations — hosts India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives.



Pakistan would be participating in 21 of the 23 events — due to the ongoing tussle within the Pakistan Football Federation, Pakistan would not be participating in both the men’s and women’s football discipline — while they would be defending their hockey, handball and squash crowns.

This edition of the Games will especially be great for aspiring female athletes in the country as, for the first time, Pakistan would be participating in women’s boxing, kabaddi and weightlifting, while the women’s volleyball team would feature in the Games after almost two decades — they last featured in 1995 in Madras where they bagged bronze.



Pakistani athletes would be looking to improve on their last edition’s medal tally of 80 — 19 gold, 25 silver and 36 bronze — and hope to at least maintain their second position in the regional mega event.

However, given that they only have had just a month of training — they couldn’t train before as the Pakistan Olympic Association was embroiled in a power struggle — and with the rise of Sri Lankan athletes in various events, there is not much expectation riding on the athletes.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 5^th,  2016.

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