ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Athletics Federation President Maj Gen (R) M Akram Sahi, HI (M), SI (M) announced that the 49th National Athletics Championship 2018 (Men & Women) will get underway today (Friday) at Jinnah Stadium, Pakistan Sports Complex.
The inaugural ceremony will be held at 3pm and the concluding ceremony will be held on Nov 18. Special Advisor to PM Naeem-ul-Haq will grace the occasion as chief guest. He expressed these views while addressing a press conference along with secretary M Zafar and Islamabad Athletics Association (IAA) President Brig (R) Sultan Satti, who is also chairman of organising committee. He said: “I am thankful to Brig Satti, as he, in only four-day short notice, agreed to make all the arrangements and helped in other important issues.
“We have decided to introduce a number of awards this year to buck up associations and affiliated departments and this year’s best affiliated unit trophy goes to Brig Satti for his outstanding contributions. The event was actually planned at Lahore, where we had agreement with previous Sports Board Punjab (SBP) management, but as the entire management has been changed, new management was isn’t ready to honour the promise of previous ones, so we were left with no other option but to shift the venue.”
He said this year, the event carries a total of Rs 4.5 million in shape of cash, trophies and other stuff. “The best officials of the country have been invited to officiate the event. It will certainly provide us with an opportunity to detect fresh talent and groom them for national and international events.”
The national championship is normally held in June, as international events like Asian Athletics and other regional games are kept in mind. “Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) kept on changing dates of National Games, which were postponed on a number of occasions, so we have to conduct the national championship in November. We could have used lame excuses of delaying the event by blaming POA, but we just want to provide maximum healthy competitions to our athletes and ensure them maximum cash prizes and best facilities.”
He said they have requested the government time and again to reward our Asian Games bronze-medal winner javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem and runner Mehboob Ali. “India has settled their Asian gold medallist in Finland so we also need to take care of our brilliant athletes, so that they may also earn laurels for the country at international level. “I have detected talent and recommended it to the government. A federation doesn’t have enough resources, so it is government, who must lend a helping hand to the federations, who have potential of providing the country international medallists.”
He said that he has focused on youth and written letters to Islamabad-based private and government schools that they have given them rights of participation in national events. “I hope we will be able to gather around 3000 to 4000 students till next year junior meets. We have made it compulsory that provincial associations have to conduct one event every year and we will take action against those, who fail to abide by the rules.” To a query regarding very less working on fresh talent during his last 8 years, Sahi said: “Firstly, it is never too late and secondly, I had given my plans to the associations and it was their duty to recommend talent to the AFP and our duty is to provide them training and other facilities.
“All the athletes are breaking old records, which shows the progress of the AFP. If we talk and compare to world level, we need to do more. One must remember a few harsh and bitter facts that world has been spending huge on sports while we are getting only Rs 3.5 million annual grant, which is not sufficient for one national event. We are doing everything on self-finance basis and I wish someone may step forward and offer his services for Pakistan sports,” he added.