Pakistan will host the South Asian Games from April 3 to 11 next year. The country last hosted the regional sports event in Islamabad in 2004, 23 years ago. The Executive Committee of the South Asian Olympic Council took the decision at a meeting in Islamabad on Sunday. Pakistan Olympic Association President Arif Saeed, who is also Chairman of the South Asian Olympic Committee, presided over the meeting.
Key Takeaways
- Pakistan to host South Asian Games in 2027 from April 3-11
- Confirmed host cities: Islamabad, Lahore, and Peshawar
- Games will include 28 sports and 346 medal events
- Three cities expected to host more than 3,200 athletes
- India has accepted the dates, but its actual participation is not certain
پاکستان 23 سال بعد ساؤتھ ایشین گیمز کی میزبانی کرنے جا رہا ہے۔ کھیلوں کا یہ بڑا ایونٹ 3 سے 11 اپریل 2027 تک اسلام آباد، لاہور اور پشاور میں ہوگا، جس میں 28 کھیلوں کے 346 میڈل مقابلے ہوں گے۔ 3,200 سے زائد کھلاڑیوں کی شرکت متوقع ہے۔ بھارت نے مجوزہ تاریخوں کی حمایت کی ہے تاہم اس کی… pic.twitter.com/N9awEQyZCh
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Three cities, almost 350 medal events
The Executive Committee reviewed the preparations and formally approved Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar as the three host cities during the meeting on Sunday. Delegates from Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka attended in person. India joined by video link. The proposed dates, it was said, had the support of every country’s representative.
The event is of great magnitude. The Games will feature 28 sports and 346 medal events. More than 3,200 athletes are expected to compete in the three host cities. This means Pakistan, with technical officials and support staff, is preparing to host around 4,000 athletes and foreign visitors in total. As part of the review process before next year’s event, a visiting delegation was scheduled to visit proposed venues in Islamabad on Monday.
Long Road Ahead
This was not supposed to be happening in 2027. Pakistan was originally scheduled to host the Games in 2021, but the event was postponed for various reasons over the following years. Preparations are now reportedly in their final stages, more than five years after the original target date.
The federal government has already given the Pakistan Olympic Association and other stakeholders a green signal, assuring them that the required funds will be released. On Sunday, representatives of the countries participating in the event met to review Pakistan’s preparations and measures taken so far.
3 Major Events in One Year: Islamabad’s Bigger Picture
South Asian Games are no strangers to Islamabad. Capital Development Authority has already started preparations for accommodation and other facilities for foreign visitors arriving in Islamabad next year on the direction of the federal government, sources said. That includes the Games, but also the Shanghai Cooperation Organization conference and an OIC meeting, both of which are also scheduled in the capital.
A senior government official told news sources that the federal government was taking every possible step to make all three international events successful. “The Pakistan Olympic Association, the Foreign Office and the federal government are jointly watching the preparations,” the official said. “Everyone’s on the same page and working as a team for these Games,” the official said.
The Open Question: Will India Turn Up?
The most difficult part of this story is India’s role. India’s representative joined the meeting by video link and supported the proposed dates, the official said. “That was a signal that India intends to participate. But another source pushed back on that read, cautioning that India’s participation cannot yet be confirmed.
There was a pattern, that source said. Politics and sports have long been mixed in India, which has shunned trips to Pakistan even for other international events. The source cited a recent example of India not attending a volleyball event in Pakistan. It is doubtful that that pattern will apply to the Games next April, or that India will send a full contingent, and the answer is likely to be much closer to the event itself.
