Table Tennis: Players suffer as PSB-POA issue remains
Rival body to be denied permission for international participation: PTTF.
PTTF President Riaz Ahmed, chief of the faction supported by the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) that handles NOCs issue.
KARACHI:
The country’s players will suffer further as their participation in upcoming international events has been put in doubt due to a conflict between the Pakistan Table Tennis Federation (PTTF) and a rival group.
An eight-member team, comprising four males and an equal number of female players, was hoping to take part in the upcoming Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship followed by the World Championship and Asian Championship. However, their travel plans, which were arranged by the rival group, were thwarted when the PTTF made it clear that NOCs would not be issued to the team.
PTTF President Riaz Ahmed, chief of the faction supported by the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) that handles NOCs issue, said that players will not get the clearance required to participate in these events.
Meanwhile, the ‘new federation’ officials, supported by the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA), remained adamant that their body was the only one handling table tennis affairs in the country.
The fiasco began when Ahmed sacked PTTF secretary Hafeezullah and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Kifayatullah after both officials had completed two tenures — the most allowed under the Pakistan Sports Policy that bars everyone from holding office for a third time.
In wake of the sacking, both joined hands with former PTTF president SM Sibtain to form a new body, supported by the POA. While players have been told to go ahead with their training sessions with the ‘new body’ arranging for the trips, PTTF chief Ahmed was clear when he said that ‘this was not going to happen’.
“It’s highly unlikely that these players will get the NOCs,” Ahmed told The Express Tribune. “They won’t be able to participate. The PSB handles the NOCs and clearance issues and it won’t allow their travel. I did my job when I sacked these two [Hafeezullah and Kifayatullah] as I was implementing the Supreme Court’s orders.
“These officials have formed a new federation which is against the law. Even Sibtain has served more than two terms as the PTTF president. Their body’s legality is in question and even if the POA is supporting them, their plans will be thwarted.”
Meanwhile, it has also been confirmed that the PSB has sent a letter to the Federal Investigation Agency in which it has requested the government body to disallow their travel.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 14th, 2013.
The country’s players will suffer further as their participation in upcoming international events has been put in doubt due to a conflict between the Pakistan Table Tennis Federation (PTTF) and a rival group.
An eight-member team, comprising four males and an equal number of female players, was hoping to take part in the upcoming Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship followed by the World Championship and Asian Championship. However, their travel plans, which were arranged by the rival group, were thwarted when the PTTF made it clear that NOCs would not be issued to the team.
PTTF President Riaz Ahmed, chief of the faction supported by the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) that handles NOCs issue, said that players will not get the clearance required to participate in these events.
Meanwhile, the ‘new federation’ officials, supported by the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA), remained adamant that their body was the only one handling table tennis affairs in the country.
The fiasco began when Ahmed sacked PTTF secretary Hafeezullah and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Kifayatullah after both officials had completed two tenures — the most allowed under the Pakistan Sports Policy that bars everyone from holding office for a third time.
In wake of the sacking, both joined hands with former PTTF president SM Sibtain to form a new body, supported by the POA. While players have been told to go ahead with their training sessions with the ‘new body’ arranging for the trips, PTTF chief Ahmed was clear when he said that ‘this was not going to happen’.
“It’s highly unlikely that these players will get the NOCs,” Ahmed told The Express Tribune. “They won’t be able to participate. The PSB handles the NOCs and clearance issues and it won’t allow their travel. I did my job when I sacked these two [Hafeezullah and Kifayatullah] as I was implementing the Supreme Court’s orders.
“These officials have formed a new federation which is against the law. Even Sibtain has served more than two terms as the PTTF president. Their body’s legality is in question and even if the POA is supporting them, their plans will be thwarted.”
Meanwhile, it has also been confirmed that the PSB has sent a letter to the Federal Investigation Agency in which it has requested the government body to disallow their travel.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 14th, 2013.