LAHORE, Dec 16: The Punjab Olympics Association (PbOA) has taken a strong exception to Punjab government’s refusal to allow the PbOA to use provincial sports infrastructure for holding the 32nd National Games.

Addressing secretary of the Youth Affairs, Sports, Archaeology and Tourism Department in a letter, Games Organising Committee secretary Idrees Haider Khawaja stated: “The sports infrastructure which has been denied to us are all built through public money.”

It is pertinent to mention that the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) allocated the 32nd National Games to Punjab in February 2011 and which was supposed to be held in October 2011.

However, the Games were the first casualty when the provincial administration and the association fell out over the scheduling of the Games with the Punjab government aiming to organise the International Youth Festival on the dates the Games were scheduled to start. Later on, the Games were rescheduled twice before the final date for the opening ceremony was announced for Dec 22 which again seems to be in the doldrums with the Punjab government again refusing to provide the sports infrastructure to the PbOA.—Sports Reporter