Athletes concerned prior to National Games’ launch
Around 7,000 athletes and officials of 15 outfits from all over the country, including the provinces, are taking part in the Games which were supposed to be held in Peshawar in November 2009 before being rescheduled twice. Keeping in mind the vulnerability of the venue to terrorist attacks, the organisers claim to have made the best possible arrangements while relocating some of the events to other cities due to the security concerns.
“We’ve completed all possible fool-proof security arrangements for the safety of the athletes and spectators,” the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Sports Minister Syed Aaqil Shah told The Express Tribune. “Our team is working relentlessly to make this event a big success.”
Swimming, handball, taekwondo, wushu and rifle would feature in the provincial capital while hockey, rowing and baseball would be hosted in Abbottabad, Khanpur Dam (Haripur) and Mardan due to security concerns. Football, which was a late inductee in the Games after protest from the Pakistan Football Federation, will be played in Islamabad.
Accommodation remains a concern
While things looked oncourse on surface, some of the athletes were left stunned after seeing the accommodation arrangements which they claimed were “sub-standard”.
The organisers, who reserved various hotels for the athletes, had to move their accommodation to schools and colleges near the stadium following instructions by security agencies.
The athletes’ main concerns were regarding meals and living conditions.
“The arrangements are very poor,” Sindh’s karate team manger Abdul Hameed told The Express Tribune. “We don’t even have the facility of hot water in this chilly weather. There’s a geyser for warm water but it’s not enough to provide hot water to around 300 athletes.
“There is a small canteen in this college where only tea is available for us.”
The National Games Chief Organiser Zulfiqar Butt said the last-minute change of plans in Peshawar was the reason behind these issues.
“We had to change our plan at the eleventh hour but we’re trying to remove all concerns of the participating units that exist and hopefully the issues would be resolved within a day. We want the event to be successful.”
POA chief calls for support
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) President General Arif Hasan has asked all the participating teams to co-operate with the organisers and ignore minor issues to make the event a success.
“The issues have risen because of ensuring the best possible security, which is the top priority of the organisers,” said Hasan.
“The athletes should be supportive because success in this event will be huge for our country and will send a positive message to the rest of the world.”
Participants
Islamabad
Punjab
Sindh
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Balochistan
Gilgit-Baltistan
Azad Jammu Kashmir
Fata
Pakistan Army
Pakistan Air Force
Pakistan Navy
Pakistan Railways
Police
Hec
Wapda
Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2010.
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