F.P. Report
PESHAWAR: Brisk arrangement continue for the smooth conduct of the fourth edition of the Inter-Provincial Games under the aegis of Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and with the collaboration of DG Sports KP and KP Olympic Association will be commencing from March 18-21, 2018 here at different venues across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Addressing a press conference former Sports Minister Syed Aqil Shah, who is also President of the Organizing Committee briefed the media men here on Thursday. Organizing Secretary of the Games Zulfiqar Ali Butt, former International athlete Habib-ur-Rehman, President KP Athletic Association, Secretary KP Hockey Association Syed Zahir Shah, Presidents and Secretaries of various Associations affiliated with POA were also present.
He said the POA held its meeting prior to the press conference and ensured error-free Games this time in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said KP got the honor of holding the Games for the second times as it held it earlier in 2008 in Peshawar. He said a total of 1500 athletes and more than 160 officials will take in 24 different games comprising archery, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, bodybuilding, gymnastics, handball, hockey, ju-jitsu, kabaddi, karate, rowing, rugby, shoftball, squash, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, tug-of-war, volleyball, weightlifting while the sports disciplines of cycling (men & women) and judo (men & women), would not be included. The golf and shooting have expressed their unavailability so all the four games would not be part of the Games.
He disclosed that as approved by POA the Provincial Association would field their contingents comprising Balochistan (300 athletes), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (300), Punjab (300), Sindh (300), FATA (150), Islamabad (100), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (50 athletes) while on request by the government of Gilgit-Baltistan the number of athletes of GP has been increased from 50 athletes to 100 athletes.
Aqil Shah also lauded the govt of KP for approving a grant of more than Rs. 40 million for the organizing committee of the KP Olympic Association. He said that for the large interest of the promotion of sports in the country, the Pakistan Olympic Association keen to provide maximum participation to the youth of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. He urged upon Governor KP to extend support to FATA Olympic Association to its youth can actively participate in these Games. He said there is no dearth of talent in FATA but the most important thing is to provide due facilities to the youth of FATA so that they should come forward at national and international levels. He said the opening ceremony of the Games will be organized at 11.00 am on March 18 while the closing ceremony will be held on March 20, 2018 at 4.00 p.m.
DG Sports Junaid Khan assured that the govt of KP is very keen to extending full support to the Pakistan Olympic Association for holding the 4th edition of the Inter-Provincial Games.
He said KP is fully ready for hosting the Games as all facilities of various disciplines have already been revamped looking after meeting the international standard. He said various disciplines will also be organized in Abdul Wali Khan Sports Complex Charsadda, Hayatabad Sports Complex Peshawar, Peshawar Sports Complex, and University Campus Peshawar.
The arrival of the contingents would be started by Friday. He said Chief Minister KP will grace the occasion at the opening ceremony while Governor KP will grace the occasion as guest at the closing ceremony. A request has already been made to the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahid Khaqan Abbasi for the presentation ceremony.
