KP To Hold 33rd National Games By All Means, Assures Atif Khan

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Sports, Tourism and Youth Affairs Muhammad Atif Khan assured that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would hold 33rd National Games by all mean and opposed Pakistan Olympic Association stance of shifting athletic to elsewhere

PESHAWAR, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Sep, 2019 ) :Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Sports, Tourism and Youth Affairs Muhammad Atif Khan assured that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would hold 33rd National Games by all mean and opposed Pakistan Olympic Association stance of shifting athletic to elsewhere.

He was addressing a review meeting arrangement by Directorate of sports Khyber Pakhtunkhwa here in a hotel with President Pakistan Olympic Association Lt. Gen. (Retd) Arif Hassan, President KP Olympic Association Syed Aqil Shah, Secretary Sports KP Kamran Rehman, Director General Sports KP Asfandyar Khan Khattak, Secretary General Pakistan Olympic Association Khalid Mehmood, Secretary KP Olympic Association Zulfiqar Ali Butt, Vice Chairman Sports and Youth Management Committee Shahid Khan Shinwari, Presidents and Secretaries of various federations, members of various associations affiliated with KP OA were also present.

Speaking on this occasion, Muhammad Atif Khan said they are fully capable and millions of rupees had been spent over development of international standard facilities mean to hold the 33rd National Games and other Games in befitting manners only to provide ample opportunities to the youth to come and play according to the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

He informed the meeting that Maj Gen (Retd) Akram Sahi, a former international athlete and President Pakistan Athletic Federation along with Technical Committee was specially invited to Peshawar to look into the condition of the Tartan Track, a venue in Qayyum Sports Complex, to hold Athletics.

He said during his inspection, he (Akram Sahi) expressed his satisfaction over the condition overall and also identified four to five patches needed repairmen. Such repairmen would done in appropriate time and if given more time we can lay new Tartan Track as well but we will hold the 33rd National Games by all means, Muhammad Atif Khan told the meeting.

"We held more than 10 meetings with KP OA and Secretary Sports, DG Sports are very much supportive so if we were told earlier on, the matter or the repairmen of such patches would be done every three months earlier on," Muhammad Atif Khan said.

"We have taken a record measures and informed the house that KP govt has planned a comprehensive development for searching out new talent in all games and soon a Endurance academy based on to reach out bio-mechanics of the budding youngsters by training them on modern way for each Games," Atif Khan said.

He said it is astonishing to see Pakistan is a 220 million pollution country but not to win a single medal in Olympic. It needs sincerity and proper planning to achieve a set goal, Atif Khan said, adding "The govt of KP would utilize all its resources to make ensure hosting of 33rd national games." The difference of opinion surfaced in a meeting regarding hosting of athletics, but we are here and such things would be resolved in appropriate manners, President (POA) Lt. Gen (Retd) Arif Hassan in response to Muhammad Atif Khan stance of holding athletic in Peshawar, said.

"Govt is spending of million rupees over the Games with the aim to bring the youth united at one platform and involved players from across Pakistan rather to hold just Opening and Closing ceremies," Atif Khan said, a response of POA president stance of shifting athletics.

"We could not want to shift any Game to elsewhere including athletics," Muhammad Atif Khan said. "Why not we have been told sixth months back regarding the rough patches in Tartan Track when we held more than 10 meetings with KP Olympic Association and now such things have been surfaced of shifting Athletic event from Peshawar to Islamabad or Lahore," Secretary Sports Kamran Rehman asked President POA Lt. Gen (retd) Arif Hassan. "It was our fault," replied President POA. "We have informed by KP Olympic Association through a letter that the Tartan Track of the Qayyum Sports Complex may cause injuries so we constituted a committee to inspect the same and informed us Tartan Track is not fit for Athletics," Arif Hassan informed. "We will sort out things in a better way," Arif Hassain said.

Kamran Rehman assured the house that appropriate measures would be taken to make ensure repair of all patches as work has already been started and in 15-day time all such repairment identified by President PAF Maj Gen Akram Sahi. The house on the assurance given by DG Sports KP and Secretary Sports KP, setup Oct 5 deadline for inspection again. However, Secretary Sports once again stick to his stance said that they are not favoring shifting of athletic to elsewhere and utilize all its resources to conduct the 33rd National Games in befitting manners.