35th National Games postponed till Dec

Games initially slated for May were put off due to extremely hot weather

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KARACHI:

Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah met with a delegation of the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) to finalise preparations for the 35th National Games 2025, which the CM announced that Karachi would host from December 6 to 13.

Sindh will host the National Games after a gap of 18 years. Earlier, the National Games were scheduled to start from May 1. after 18 years hosted by Sindh. However, due to extreme heat in the city and other reasons, it was decided to postpone National Games.

The meeting was held at the CM House, and attended by the POA delegation led by its President, Arif Saeed, Senior Vice President Fatima Lahori, Secretary General Khalid Mehmood, and Sindh Secretary Ahmed Ali Rajput. Also present was Sports Secretary Aleem Laghari, who gave a briefing on the preparations, logistics, and planning for the games.

CM Shah pledged full cooperation to ensure the games are organised to international standards, directing relevant departments to provide essential facilities to athletes, including training, medical care, transportation, and modern infrastructure.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the POA, the Government of Sindh, and the Sindh Olympic Association (SOA) to establish a coordinated framework for organising the games.

According to Organising Secretary Ahmed Ali Rajput, around 10,000 male and female athletes, officials and others from across the country will participate in National Games to be held at 21 different venues.

A total of 2760 athletes from provincial teams and 5600 from departmental teams will participate, along with 1200 technical officials and 132 veteran athletes.

Water pipelines

CM Murad, while presiding over a meeting to review the progress of the K-IV Augmentation Project, expressed serious concern over a burst water line at Karachi University and instructed the water board to repair it and restore the water supply immediately."This is unacceptable, that every day one or the other water transmission line bursts, ultimately the citizens have to suffer, therefore it must be resolved once and for all," he said.

At the outset of the meeting, the Chief Minister expressed his dissatisfaction and directed the water board to conduct a comprehensive survey of all old lines and develop a five-year plan for their repair/replacement. "The water board needs to strengthen its system," he emphasised.

Reviewing the progress on the Greater Karachi Bulk Water Supply Scheme (K-IV Augmentation Works, KWSSIP-II), the Chief Minister emphasised the strategic importance of the project in addressing Karachi's chronic water shortage and urged all relevant agencies to remove administrative bottlenecks immediately.