LAHORE: The Punjab Olympic Association is finding it increasingly difficult to lift the level of sports in the province given the insufficient finances, improper infrastructure and above all the unsupportive behaviour of the Punjab Sports department.
Talking to this scribe, Secretary POA Idris Haider Khawaja said that without the support of the government and the sports department, sports cannot flourish in the province. His association and all other sports bodies are in a fix and are heading towards disaster due to the step-motherly treatment of the sports department.
He said the 31st National Games are just around the corner and the participation of Punjab athletes in these Games depends on these players taking proper training which would be impossible given the fact the POA was forced to cancel the Punjab Games.
He believed it would not be possible for the Punjab athletes to take part in the Games if the sports department did not release money for the camp training of the players and in that case POA will have no option but to boycott the National Games. He said the cancelled Punjab Games were actually aimed at selecting strong teams for participation in the 31st National Games taking place in Peshawar in the last week of December. However the provincial athletes were denied the opportunity by none other than the sports department.
He also requested the Punjab Chief Minister to intervene for the release of money which has already been sanctioned.
He informed the Punjab government has already given Rs8 million to the sports department for preparation and participation of the Punjab contingent in these National Games but up till now no training camp has been established.
The expenditures incurred by the provincial associations on training camps have not been reimbursed so far by the sports department in spite of repeated requests, he added.
He held the sports department responsible in case the Punjab contingents did not take part in the Games.
According to him, sports in the province are suffering badly due to the indifferent attitude of Secretary Sports Saeed Ahmed Nawaz.
