KARACHI: In a bid to prepare for the forthcoming Inter-Provincial Games to be held in Peshawar from November 9 to 12, the Sindh government will hand over Rs 25,000 each to 32 affiliated units of the Sindh Olympic Association (SOA) in a couple of days, writes Alam Zeb Safi.

It was announced here in the general body meeting of the Sindh Olympic Association (SOA) held here at the Asghar Ali Shah Cricket Stadium on Friday night with the President Dr Muhammad Ali Shah, who is also the Sindh Sports Minister, in the chair.

The secretary of Sindh Olympic Association (SOA) Ahmed Ali Rajput told ‘The News’ on Saturday that it was also decided that along with Rs 800,000 special grant for the affiliated units Rs 320,000 would be distributed amongst 320 of those players and officials who will represent Sindh in the Inter-Provincial Games.

The amount would be handed over to the target people tomorrow (Monday) here at the Sindh Sports Minister office, he said. He said that the associations were told that they should start preparatory camps for the Peshawar contest from October 15.

Rajput also disclosed that a 324 member-contingent, also including four contingent officials, of Sindh would participate in the Inter-Provincial Games.

He informed that the body also unanimously approved the proposed clauses in the constitution, saying under the amendment the number of vice-presidents and associate secretaries of the SOA have been increased from three to five. He disclosed that Rehana Saif, the associate secretary of Sindh Kabaddi Association (SKA), has been included in the vice-presidents’ list while Mehfoozul Haq, Arif Fahim, Afreen Nazim and Sana Ali were named as associate secretaries.

He said that the Sindh Basketball Association, Softball Association and Throwball Association were also granted affiliation.

However, he added that both the parallel bodies of Sindh Cycling Association, one being led by Bari Gilani and the other being headed by M M Mehdi, were disaffiliated in a bid to remove the controversy.

He said that the Sindh Athletics Association is also not existing so the house unanimously decided to form two special committees which will conduct the trials for these sports in a bid to ensure their participation in the Inter-provincial Games.

Ahmed Ali Rajput also disclosed that the house also agreed that SOA should conduct a course for the sports administrators from November 24 to 30, which has been granted by the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) to SOA. He said that 25 members of the affiliated units would attend the course. The house also approved the accounts for the years 2007-08 and 2008-09.