Islamabad (GNP): Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar presided over a session of the Steering Committee tasked with overseeing preparations for the upcoming SAF Games.
Working in coordination with the South Asian Olympic Committee, organizers have now locked in the Games’ schedule for April 4–11, 2027. The meeting also saw approval of a National Coordinator appointment along with the formal makeup of the Steering, Organizing and Provincial Committees.
The Games will feature 28 sporting disciplines and draw an expected turnout of more than 6,000 athletes and officials, with competitions spread across Islamabad, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Dar instructed all relevant departments to stay closely coordinated, complete venue construction on schedule, and maintain top-tier standards throughout the hosting process. He also asked the Steering Committee to convene monthly to track ongoing progress.
Also present at the meeting were Advisor to the PM on Inter-Provincial Coordination and SAPM Tariq Bajwa, the IPC Secretary, and representatives from the provincial governments.
Separately, the 14th South Asian Games are scheduled to take place January 23–31, 2026, hosted across three Pakistani cities — Lahore, Faisalabad and Islamabad. The decision was reached during a meeting of the Executive Committee of the South Asia Olympic Council (SAOC) held in Lahore.
Chaired by Pakistan Olympic Association President Arif Saeed, the session underscored a shared commitment among South Asian National Olympic Committees to advance regional sports cooperation and development.
Representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan attended in person, while Nazima Khan of the Indian Olympic Association joined via video link. She confirmed that India would send athletes to compete in the Games.
The committee also finalized a list of 27 approved sports, including athletics, archery, aquatics, badminton, basketball (3×3 and 5×5), billiards and snooker, boxing, cricket, football, fencing, golf, handball and beach handball, judo, kabaddi, karate, rugby, shooting, squash, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball and beach volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling, and wushu — along with rowing.
Rowing, put forward by host nation Pakistan, will only be confirmed once it secures backing from at least four other National Olympic Committees.
Arif Saeed, in his capacity as SAOC President, thanked all participating NOCs for their engagement and support. He singled out Federal Secretary Sports Zahoor Ahmed Chaudhry (Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination) for his key contributions to the preparation process, and praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for his leadership in ensuring the Games’ successful organization.
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With preparations progressing steadily, the SAOC says it is looking forward to delivering a successful and memorable edition of the South Asian Games in January 2026, celebrating unity and sportsmanship across the region.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
