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‘PSB preventing POA from holding Queen’s Baton Relay’ Back To Main

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Arif Hasan reiterated that the POA is an autonomous body and cannot function under the government or with government intervention. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

KARACHI: Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) President Arif Hasan claimed yesterday that his organisation was being prevented from holding the Queen’s Baton Relay in Lahore.

The event is a part of the run-up to the Commonwealth Games that will be held in Glasgow next year.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Hasan said that a top Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) official is trying to sabotage the plan by writing to the Government of Punjab that it should bar his International Olympic Association (IOC) recognised POA to host the event.

“The PSB wrote to the Punjab Government indicating that the IOC-recognized POA was an illegal body and that it shouldn’t be allowed to hold the Queen’s Baton Relay in Lahore,” Hasan told reporters.

“Instead, the Punjab Sports Board should take it over in order to accommodate the government-recognised POA led by Akram Sahi.”

The official added that the POA is ready to cooperate with Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Sports Ministry for the sake of sports in Pakistan.

However, it wants everyone to respect the constitutional parameters of each body as well.

“We, on our part, always like to work in harmony with the IPC, but at the same time each other’s constitutional parameters should be respected,” he said.

Meanwhile, he reiterated that the POA is an autonomous body and cannot function under the government or with government intervention.

He further said that the policies that are not compatible with the Olympic Charter or international covenants must be revised.

“The IOC recalled that the contentious clauses had been identified last year and the government had categorically undertaken to revise these but not done so till now.

“It is therefore expected that the Government of Pakistan reviews urgently the pending issues in the current sports policy as identified in the IOC/OCA letter of June 21, 2012 and as per the clear undertaking received from the Government of Pakistan by letter of July 12, 2012,” the official claimed.

Speaking about the issues of the parallel bodies of the POA, he said that the IOC has undertaken the task to verify the case from the International Sports Federation and the verified list would be the composition of the POA, which would be the final one.