PHF and PFF criticise Pakistan Olympic Association for omitting outdoor games from National Games
Pakistan Olympic Association’s decision to exclude Hockey and several other outdoor sports from next month’s 31st National Games has led to the eruption of a furious row from the respective organising bodies of these
sports. Yesterday, the POA had omitted almost a dozen disciplines besides reducing the number of participating athletes. Both hockey and football are also included in the omitted disciplines.
The event is scheduled to be held in the terrorism-stricken Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa’s provincial capital Peshawar, and according to the POA management, the security concerns have prompted the organisers to exclude some outdoor sports
from the event. The uncertain security situation in the north-west province had already postponed the National Games twice in the last two years. And this time, although the management has decided to organize the event, its main focus is on wrapping it up
in a short span of time and avoiding security hassles.
"Basically the problem is the security situation in the province," a source told media reporters. The events in which female athletes were supposed to participate have been drastically reduced, as the region of KPK is supposed
to be the most conservative place in Pakistan.
Despite all these facts, the omission of Pakistan's national sport, hockey, from the National Games has led to a severe reaction from the PHF (Pakistan Hockey Federation).
"It is a joke not to include hockey in the National Games. Already we are trying to keep the profile of the sport high in Pakistan and attempting to find new talents. But we are told that there will be no hockey in such a major
event," said Asif Bajwa, the PHF secretary.
Bajwa also said that if the organisers were facing security problems in organising the event, the Pakistan Olympic Association should have moved the Games to some other province rather than axing disciplines. He also revealed that
the President Pakistan Hockey Federation Qasim Zia had already approached the government and the Pakistan Sports Board upon the issue.
The same kind of reaction came from Faisal Saleh Hayat, the President of the Pakistan Football Federation, who is also an influential politician sitting in the National Assembly. "How can they exclude a popular sport like football?
Then what is the purpose of having National Games?” he asked.
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