PSB meeting violated its own rules: Arif

KARACHI: Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) President Lt Gen (retd) Arif Hasan said on Tuesday that the Pakistan Sports Board’s (PSB) Executive Board meeting violated its own rules.

“The PSB Executive Board meeting in Islamabad on Tuesday violated its own rules and procedures in terms of invitees and was also in contravention of verdicts of the higher courts, including the Supreme Court,” he said at a hurriedly called press conference in Lahore after the Board meeting.

“Although no official notification has been given, if true, these may indeed have serious consequences keeping in view the established norms of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the international federations for these amount to intervention in the autonomy of the POA and national federations,” he said.

“Since no information has officially been made available, I cannot be categorical in my responses”, said Arif.

“The correct procedures laid down in the PSB’s own statute book were not followed, for only the presidents and secretary generals of the POA, the Provincial Olympic Associations and the national federations are invited and not just anybody the PSB wishes. Since the 1960s this procedure has been meticulously followed, as can be ascertained by the PSB’s own records,” he said.

“Secondly, there were multiple unauthorised representations from some federations and other organisations, most of which are not even the POA members,” Arif pointed out.

“Thirdly, the prerogative of holding and awarding the National Games is POA’s, by right and convention. No other entity can hold any games under the nomenclature of National Games,” said the POA chief.

The National Games, awarded by POA, are a bi-annual affair and having just held these Games in Lahore, the POA would now hold the next Games in 2014, said the president.

He said that the only major “stakeholder” which did not participate in the 32nd National Games was the Pakistan Army. Out of the 13 stakeholders 10 participated, said Arif, who is serving as the POA chief for the third time.

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