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International Games News from Nepal
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SASF Approves SAF Games Title Sponsor concept February 1, 2004 The deal was already in the works, and it is expected that Pakistan will sign a games sponsor within 10 days. Some of the meeting was devoted to discussion the situation with Nepal, the host of the inaugural games in 1984 and the last SAF games in 1999. Political infighting within the Sports ministry and the Nepalese Olympic Committee led to the committee being dissolved. The IOC then announced that Nepal must re-instate a legal Olympic committee or be suspended. The suspension would cover the SAF, Olympic and any other games until the committee has been re-established. The SASF also voted to allow football matches in Peshawar, after earlier indications said this would not bee the case. Chief Organiser, Gen. Arif Hasan, told journalists that there would be drug testing at the games, "for the first time." Testing has been implemented at the games before, three athletes tested positive in the 1999 games in Kathmandu, This years thrice-postponed games are scheduled to run from March 29 to April 7 in Islamabad. Nepal may be out of SAF and Olympic Games January 26, 2004 Nepal's athletes may not be permitted to participate in the upcoming SAF games in Pakistan if the Nepalese government does not reinstate the Nepal Olympic Association. The government, through the District Administration Office (DAO), dissolved the Nepal Olympic Association over political differences with its members on December 31st, after complaints from Nepal's National Sports Council about the NOA election process. The government also froze the Nepal Olympic Associations bank accounts, and locked their offices. The interference is a violation of the Olympic Charter. The International Olympic Committee sent a letter to the Nepalese government dated January 12, giving them thirty days to create a valid National Olympic Committee or their IOC membership will be suspended. If the suspension goes through in February, Nepal would be restricted from participating in and hosting any form of international sporting event under IOC jurisdiction. Did the domino effect cause SAF cancellation? May 1, 2003 It's interesting that Nepal is upset at Pakistan for not hosting the SAF games. Nepalese sports officials have complained on more than one occasion that they have lost money and resources on training and preparations because the games in Pakistan will not be held. But "maybe" if Nepal had hosted the games in 1997 when they were scheduled to, then Pakistan would have been able to host the games in 1999. Nepal had to postpone their edition from 1997 to 1999 for financial reasons. Sri Lanka then would have been hosting the games in 2001. If those games were scheduled prior to September, they may not have been cancelled, and then Bangladesh would have been hosting the 2003 games this year. A lot of "maybes" but it's interesting to see the domino type effect of Nepal falling behind schedule. |