35th National Games rescheduled for December

Global warming and climate change is forcing Pakistani sports calendars to change exceedingly.

On Friday, the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) announced that the 35th National Games will be held from December 6-12 instead in May 2025 after they had a detailed meeting with meeting with Chief Minister Sindh on May 7 in Karachi.

The Games were postponed on the advice of the Sindh Government in an announcement last month, which stated that the severe heat wave is making it difficult for the athletes to continue training and eventually competing at the Games that are taking place in Karachi after 2007.

Karachi has been experiencing high temperatures soaring to 40 degrees Celsius since April.

"We had originally chalked the National Games to take place in May because in previous editions that were held in Karachi, in 1997 and 2007, they took place in May-June," The POA Secretary Khalid Mahmood told this correspondent.

According to the press release, the high-level meeting in Karachi with the Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah was attended by a delegation of the POA led by its President Arif Saeed, with Senior Vice President Fatima Lakhani, Secretary General Muhammad Khalid Mahmood, and Ahmed Ali Rajput, Secretary General of the Sindh Olympic Association.

"The heatwave was there, and the temperatures began to rise, so we decided that nothing is more important than the well-being of the athletes. That is paramount. The Sindh Government advised us, and we have to trust them because they are the best judge on this matter. The Chief Minister of Sindh has taken complete ownership of the Games," explained.

Mahmood also highlighted the need to reschedule the sports calendars, keeping two things in mind.

"The two important thigs are to schedule training sessions in a way that athletes do not bear the brunt of the heatwaves and so keeping the training for the evnets and the scheduling of the events have to be such that we are not harful for the athletes and the weather is good so they can train and play, and yes, the climate change and this global warming is affecting our calneders and athletes in a big way."

To tackle the challenges, he added that the POA has notified its Environment Commission to supervise the situation for the next four years.

Meanwhile, he added that CM Sindh Shah has given a complete assurance of help with further assistance in budgeting for the 35th National Games, too: "He has assured that if we need more, he will sanction the amount we need."

He said the National Games used to cost between Rs 20 to 25 crores. However, the cost is now almost Rs 50 crore with 7000 athletes competing in the Games due to rising costs of transport and other amenities for all the participants, including the officials.

The venue for the Games will remain the same, KMC Sports Complex, but the Sindh Government has promised upgrades to the facilities.

"The Chief Minister emphasized his commitment to sports and athlete development, and assured that comprehensive arrangements will be made for the safety, comfort, and high-performance environment of all participants. He instructed the concerned departments to provide top-tier accommodation, medical services, transportation, and to ensure compliance with international standards for all competition infrastructure and equipment, for which Secretary of the Sports & Youth Affairs Department Abdul Aleem Lashari will be the focal person. Among key announcements, the Chief Minister declared the construction of a new, state-of-the-art swimming pool and the procurement of advanced electronic timing and scoring systems,' read the press release.