PSB asks sports federations to delay elections until circulation of new policy

• It is still unclear when PSB is planning to notify and circulate the new sports policy.
• Next elections in all sports federations will be held after new sports policy is out.
• Current officials may continue to hold the respective offices until the new policy is out.

KARACHI: The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has instructed all the affiliated sports federations to delay their scheduled elections until the circulation of a new sports policy.

Geo News has obtained a copy of a letter sent to secretaries of all the sports federations by Raja Zulfiqar, a director in PSB, informing them about the decision.

The letter states that the next elections in all sports federations shall be held after the new sports policy is out and under the guidelines highlighted in the said policy, until then, the current officials may continue to hold the respective offices.

“I am directed to state that Pakistan Sports Board and the government is in the process of revising the National Sports Policy. The revised National Sports Policy-2020 carries the mechanism of holding transparent elections of the federations,” the letter said.

“Therefore, the elections of the federations may be postponed till circulation of revised sports policy-2020. The elections of the National Sports Federations will be held in line with the provision in the revised policy. The present office bearers of the federations may continue till circulation of the policy,” it added.

The new PSB order may put some sports bodies in a "catch-22 situation" as they’re also bound to follow the constitutional guidelines of their respective international federations, which include holding elections at a certain time.

It is still unclear when the PSB is planning to notify and circulate the new sports policy.