LAHORE, Dec 26: A spokesman of the Punjab Olympic Association (PbOA) on Wednesday claimed that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has rejected the appeals filed by officials of four different sports associations belonging to Islamabad region, which were trying to get the order for the postponement of the National Games.

“Earlier, all the efforts made by the rival group [of the organisers] looking to get the 32nd National Games postponed had failed in obtaining an order in this regard. Then as a last resort, the Islamabad Sports Association of badminton, basketball, judo and netball went to the court of law and filed an appeal in the honourable Islamabad High Court in order get the 32nd National Games cancelled/postponed. The Honourable IHC rejected their appeals,” a press release issued by the PbOA on Wednesday stated.

Interestingly, the seven-day National Games has already completed its first five days and will conclude with the closing ceremony on Friday, but still the efforts are on to get the Games postponed.

A good number of athletes from four provinces, Islamabad, Fata, Wapda, Police, HEC and Railways are competing in the Games. Only Pakistan Army, Navy and Air Force are not competing in the Games without making any formal announcement.

The staging of athletics and hockey events at the National Games was in jeopardy due to non-interest of the respective sports federations.

But later the athletics competitions started at the Wapda Sports Complex after all the participating units adopted a unanimous resolution, ignoring the boycott decision allegedly made by Akram Sahi, president of the Athletics Federation of Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) did not conduct their event in ongoing National Games.