KARACHI: Sindh Olympic Association (SOA) president Ahmed Ali says the national games secretariat at the KMC sports complex is likely to be set up by the end of this month.
During an interview with The News on Thursday, he said that SOA officials, technical officials of various disciplines and former players will meet at the secretariat to begin preparations for the National Games to be held in Karachi in January and February next year.
More than 7,000 athletes are likely to participate in the 35th National Games. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto will lead the torch relay in Mazar-e-Quaid. Some major decisions on the national games were taken at a meeting held last month when Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) president Abid Qadir Gillani and general secretary Khalid Mehmood visited Karachi. Provincial Sports Minister Sardar Muhammad Bux Mehar presided over the meeting.
Sources said that right now the preparations for the national games are a bit slow. Once the money for the Games is released, preparations will pick up speed, they said. The funds are likely to be released this month by the Sindh government.
It should be mentioned that this time a number of competitions, including athletic ones, will be organized at places outside the PSB training centre. The meeting also decided that the POA would set up a committee to visit such places.
