Grant fund for National Games, urges official

Punjab Olympic Association sets September 5 deadline.

KARACHI: Funds need to be released before September 5 if the National Games are to be held at all, said Punjab Olympic Association Secretary Idrees Khawaja.

The official stressed that it was not easy to arrange things at the eleventh hour and Punjab government needed to understand that since hundreds of athletes and officials will come from all over the country.

“We’re in constant touch with the government and we’re still waiting for the funds but we can’t wait any longer than September 5,” Khawaja told The Express Tribune. “We’ve been asking for the funds for a while now and since there are 27 disciplines at the Games, arrangements need to be made.”

The Games are set to start on October 16 with cycling, badminton, judo and basketball among the disciplines excluded pending legal conflicts regarding the association heads of these federations.

“We urged the arbitration committees to quickly come up with a resolution so that we can induct these disciplines in the National Games. Otherwise, the athletes will suffer due to the tussle of officials.”

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Olympic Association President Aqil Shah has offered hosting the event in case funds are not released on time.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2012.