ISLAMABAD – Four Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) officials have been appointed to a working group in charge of organising the next South Asian Games.
Punjab is due to host the 14th edition of the Games in 2023 – spearheaded by Lahore – after Prime Minister Imran Khan gave the event the nod.
Punjab’s Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Rai Taimoor Khan Bhatti, and POA President Syed Arif Hasan, have met to form the working group.
POA secretary general Muhammad Khalid Mahmood, treasurer Muhammad Shafiq, deputy secretary general Muhammad Jahangir and associate secretary general Ahmer Mallick have all been appointed to the 9-person panel.
The working group has been tasked to collect data on sports infrastructure already in place in Lahore, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Gujranwala — the four cities selected to stage the Games in 2023 — and to identify what upgrades are needed.
It has also been tasked to identify what equipment will need to be imported to bring venues up to international standards and liaise with national governing bodies.
The working group is also appointed to provide the estimated cost of venue and infrastructure upgrades, as well as building new facilities if necessary.
The 2023 South Asian Games had originally been expected to take place this year, but the coronavirus pandemic has delayed those plans.
Pakistan has hosted the event twice before – in Islamabad in 2004 and 1989.
Nepalese cities Kathmandu and Pokhara staged the last South Asian Games in 2019.
