LAHORE: Pakistan is set to host the 14th South Asian Games in 2026, with Lahore, Islamabad, and Faisalabad selected as the host cities for the multi-sport event scheduled from January 23 to 31.
This was decided during a meeting of the executive committee of South Asian Olympic Council (SAOC) in Lahore on Tuesday.
The meeting was chaired by SAOC President Arif Saeed and attended by members of the national Olympic committees of the countries participating in the South Asian Games.
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During the meeting, officials lauded the achievements of South Asian athletes, particularly Olympic gold medallists Arshad Nadeem and Neeraj Chopra, for their contributions to the region’s sporting landscape.
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The announcement of Pakistan’s hosting rights comes after prolonged uncertainty, as previous SAOC meetings ended without a final decision, leading to concerns of a further one-year delay.
Meanwhile, India had reportedly pushed for Sri Lanka to be awarded the hosting rights instead of Pakistan. Sri Lanka’s sports minister had even directed the country’s sports federation to begin preparations for hosting the South Asian Games.
Moreover, financial constraints were reportedly another major player behind the delay.
The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) had requested funds word Rs9 billion for hosting the games. Of these, Rs3 billion were required for infrastructure development while the remaining Rs6 billion for event management, including equipment and accommodation arrangements for around 5,000 athletes and officials.
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Prior 2004, the South Asian Games were known South as Asian Federation (SAF) Games and Pakistan was given the hosting rights in 2019 for the third time since 1989 and 2024. If the country had been unable to host the mega event in 2026, Sri Lanka was next in line to take over as the host nation.
The event has already faced multiple delays as it was initially postponed in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
This time, some 5,000 athletes and officials are expected to join the games from all the eight countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and India. In the 13th edition of the South Asian Games in 2019, this number was approximately 3,000.