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Kathmandu Monday September 24, 2001 Ashwin 08, 2058.
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9th SAF Games postponed
amid mounting tension
By Suman Malla
KATHMANDU, Sept 23 - Any hopes that prevailed
over the successful hosting of the 9th South Asian Federation (SAF) Games evaporated
Sunday when Pakistan called off the Games owing to mounting tension there over the
possible US strikes against Afghanistan.
Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) issued a press
release here today about the postponement of the games, quoting a high-level official of
the Games’ Technical Committee. "The Games have been postponed" said the
NOC press release, signed by its president Rukma Shumsher Rana.
The Games were slated for October 6-15 in the
Pakistani capital Islamabad and were expected to draw over 1,600 participants from the
SAARC region.
And the Agence France Presse (AFP), in a news
dispatched from Islamabad, confirmed the Games postponement.
"We announce with regret that due to
recent happenings, the SAF Games are postponed for the time being," AFP quoted S K
Tressler, minister for sports, tourism and cultural affairs, as saying.
The South Asian games are now likely to be
held in February or March next year, Tressler said.
Major General Syed Arif Hussain, the head of
the organising committee, as reported by AFP, said that technical delegates from the other
countries had been unable to make it to Islamabad following advice from their governments
not to travel to Pakistan. "In order to avoid being left in the lurch, we decided to
postpone the holding of the games," he said.
The Games organisers in Pakistan, had been
insisting until last week that the SAF Games would be held as per schedule assuring tight
security to the visiting contingents and round-the-clock surveillance at all the Games
venues. But with the US rapidly moving planes and ships to within striking distance of
Afghanistan, a decision to call off the Games became inevitable.
The Nepali players, who were in closed camps,
termed this latest development as a big letdown.
"This is very unfortunate for all of
us," said Rajendra Kapali, a Nepali table tennis player, in his reaction to the news.
"It’ll have a big negative impact especially on the newcomers. The concerned
authorities have to make some arrangements now to keep the Nepali sports on roll."
Rukma Shumsher Rana, president of Nepal
Olympic Committee (NOC) and vice president of Nepal Sports Council (NSC) also expressed
disappointment at the decision.
"We realise the current world situation
evolved after the terrorist attacks in the US," said Rana. "However, we will
continue to prepare our teams for the games to be held, hopefully in the next six
months."
NSC has already spent over Rs 14.12 million
on the training of the Nepali team. A majority of this amount has been spent in sending
out the players to various countries for special training in foreign countries and
closed-camps. The council had estimated a total Rs 36.6 million expense for the 220-member
squad in 14 disciplines in the Games.
Boxing, karate and taekwondo squads are
presently undergoing training in Pakistan, Iran and Thailand respectively.
According to a highly placed source at NSC,
the council has urged all the players and coaches of the respective disciplines to report
at its premises on Monday.
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