The Central Asian Games, with participation from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, scheduled to run from October 14 - 20 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, have some in the host country and some of the participating nations expressing concern. The games are being called the fifth edition, though the fourth edition, scheduled to be held in 2001, were never held.

Asia-Plus weekly expressed concerns last month with an article headlined, "Should Tajikistan host Central Asian Games?" and quoted Rahim Masov, the Director of the Institute of History, Archeology and Ethnography of the Tajik Academy of Sciences, who said that he does not feel it is the right time to hold the games. "On the whole, I consider such events ought to be held when a normal life of people in the country returns to the normal." He also expressed concerns about the state of the facilities.

Others, including Tuyghun Karimov, Secretary of the Communist Party of Tajikistan, Political scientist Suhrob Sharipov, the Deputy Chairman of the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan and Muhiddin Kabiri, the Chairman of the Majlisi Namonyadagon Committee for Energy and Construction and the Tajik Sports Committee have all gone on the record that they are in favor of Tajikistan holding the games. The sports committee last month reported that there was still some work to do on some facilities, including the Central Republican Stadium, but the venues will be ready on time.

In Kyrgystan, worries of another sort were expressed in the Vesherniy Bishkek newspaper.

"Are we going to be defeated?" asked the paper. The article claimed that the development of sports was much more advanced in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and that athletes from Kyrgystan had little chance of competing against these two nations. Money that was supposed to be set aside by government sources for training purposes (three million soms, about $70,000 US dollars) has not been provided.