LAHORE: Army Sports Directorate has said that Pakistan Army is backing Major General (r) Mohammad Akram Sahi for the post of Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) president to introduce a new culture in country’s sports. The other candidates contesting for the coveted post are present POA chief Lt General (r) Syed Arif Hasan and Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) president and former Olympian Qasim Zia.
“General Sahi is our candidate and we are fully supporting him to bring a change in country’s sports,” said Army Sports Director Brigadier Iqtidar Naseer Ahmad on Wednesday. He said they were fully supporting General Sahi, who is also Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) president, in the larger interest of the games and to ensure a better future for Pakistan sports.
“We believe that this is time to bring a change in the POA to replace the old sports system with a new one to run the National Olympic Committee on professional lines,” he said and added: “The present regime of the POA has completed eight years in office and there is a dire need to replace them by electing the right people.” Brig Iqtidar said the new regime, under Sahi, if elected would end culture of ‘joy-riding’ in Pakistan sports and work for uplift of sports in the country.
According to sources, the element of the support of armed forces and the federations under their influence (squash, taekwondoo, judo, sailing, rowing etc.) will play a decisive role in the POA elections due on February 4. “The insiders suggest that the message has already been conveyed to present POA president Arif Hasan that Pakistan Army wants Sahi to ‘take over’ and he must ‘pull out’. But the soft-spoken incumbent POA chief is so far unwilling to give up,” added the sources.
Brig Iqtidar said Army was the biggest sports institution in the country and was taking effective measures for overall development of sports and welfare of sportsmen. “Pakistan Army’s services for the cause of sports in the country are known to everyone and Army is a leading force in country’s sports by winning the prestigious Quaid-e-Azam Trophy for a record number of 24 times besides being the national champions for 13 years,” he said. Brig Iqtidar said General Sahi had a vision for overhauling the existing system of Pakistan’s sports and if elected he had the potential to deliver in the right direction to change the sagging fortunate of country’s sports. “People at the helm of affairs in the POA have completed two successive terms and their abilities for the promotion of sports have been tested and the time has come to give opportunity to other people to come forward and take over through a fair and democratic process of elections,” he added.
“General Sahi is our candidate and we are fully supporting him to bring a change in country’s sports,” said Army Sports Director Brigadier Iqtidar Naseer Ahmad on Wednesday. He said they were fully supporting General Sahi, who is also Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) president, in the larger interest of the games and to ensure a better future for Pakistan sports.
“We believe that this is time to bring a change in the POA to replace the old sports system with a new one to run the National Olympic Committee on professional lines,” he said and added: “The present regime of the POA has completed eight years in office and there is a dire need to replace them by electing the right people.” Brig Iqtidar said the new regime, under Sahi, if elected would end culture of ‘joy-riding’ in Pakistan sports and work for uplift of sports in the country.
According to sources, the element of the support of armed forces and the federations under their influence (squash, taekwondoo, judo, sailing, rowing etc.) will play a decisive role in the POA elections due on February 4. “The insiders suggest that the message has already been conveyed to present POA president Arif Hasan that Pakistan Army wants Sahi to ‘take over’ and he must ‘pull out’. But the soft-spoken incumbent POA chief is so far unwilling to give up,” added the sources.
Brig Iqtidar said Army was the biggest sports institution in the country and was taking effective measures for overall development of sports and welfare of sportsmen. “Pakistan Army’s services for the cause of sports in the country are known to everyone and Army is a leading force in country’s sports by winning the prestigious Quaid-e-Azam Trophy for a record number of 24 times besides being the national champions for 13 years,” he said. Brig Iqtidar said General Sahi had a vision for overhauling the existing system of Pakistan’s sports and if elected he had the potential to deliver in the right direction to change the sagging fortunate of country’s sports. “People at the helm of affairs in the POA have completed two successive terms and their abilities for the promotion of sports have been tested and the time has come to give opportunity to other people to come forward and take over through a fair and democratic process of elections,” he added.
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