Uncertainty looms large over the South Asian Games (SA (Games), which was scheduled to take place from January 23-31, 2026 in Pakistan.
The schedule was taken at a meeting of the South Asian Games committee held in Lahore on February 25 of this year. Apart from India, representatives from rest of the other participating countries - Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, the Maldives, and the host country, Pakistan attended the meeting.
India joined the meeting through zoom and they were positive to take part in the Games but based on recent relation between India and Pakistan, it appears that India will not be participating in the Games in Pakistan.
India Sports Ministry earlier of this week cleared that any of the international events organised by India, there would be no impediment of Pakistan’s participation at Indian soil.
But the Indian ministry did not clear whether India would go to Pakistan to participate in any of the international events or in the SA Games.
However, Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) despite naming the host cities (Lahore, Faisalabad and Islamabad) of the Games, but yet to provide technical handbook to the participants countries.
Usually, players registration and the activities of accreditations for the participants in the SA Games started four to five moths ahead of the it’s scheduled date.
But it’s only four months left of the schedule times of organising the Games, the POA yet to perform any of the necessary doings.
Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA), who has already started preparation of different disciplines, conveyed a letter to POA regarding all of these issues but no reply yet to be received.
So it is very much doubtful that the SA Games would be staged in scheduled time.
Meanwhile, the last time SA Games was held in Kathmandu and Fokhara, Nepal in 2019, since that the South Asian sports carnival was not organised for different issues and the schedule of the Games was deferred for several times.
Finally the games was supposed to take place in November of this year but this time also had to be postponed.
So, in all respects, the uncertainty looms large with the SA Games, which was scheduled to take place in January 2026.
