National Games women events to be held at PSC

ISLAMABAD The organising committee of the forthcoming 29th National Games have decided to hold all the women sports competitions here at Pakistan Sports Complex, TheNation learnt on Wednesday. Despite facing threats from local Taliban, the hosts Khyber PK decided to organise the national event on the given dates (December 25 to 31) since the Games have been postponed twice due to security risk and unfavourable circumstances in past. According to a source, it was also suggested in a meeting of officials in Rawalpindi a few days back that the number of disciplines be reduced. The National Games have been postponed twice earlier due to security situation in the country. The meeting was chaired by the provincial minister for sports Khyber PK, Syed Aqil Shah, and was attended by Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) Director General Mohammad Afzal, Islamabad Olympic Association (IOA) President Arif Mehmood Siddiqui, Army Sports Secretary Colonel Shujat Ali Rana and representatives of the affiliated departments, he said. He said that the proposal of reducing the disciplines had been forwarded to president POA, Lt. Gen (Retd) Syed Arif Hasan for approval. The final decision will be announced in the next couple of days, he maintained. The Islamabad Olympic Association (IOA) will assist to Khyber PK Olympic Committee in holding the events in the capital. The decision has been taken but it will be officially announced after approval of the POA, the source further said. As many as 3000 athletes will be featuring in different events during the National Games. The main venue for opening ceremony will be Peshawars Qayyum Stadium while a number of other sports facilities will also be engaged to run the competitions, he concluded.