Sports Board Raises Concerns Over Pakistan Olympic Association Elections

The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has raised serious governance and transparency concerns over the Pakistan Olympic Association’s (POA) upcoming elections, questioning the legitimacy of the process.

In a letter addressed to POA president Syed Muhammad Abid Qadri Gillani, the PSB flagged several compliance issues, highlighting potential misalignment with International Olympic Committee (IOC) standards for fair and transparent governance.

Among the PSB’s primary concerns are the alleged secrecy around recent constitutional amendments, the lack of disclosure of general council meeting minutes, and the absence of transparency regarding the electoral college composition.

The PSB emphasized that these practices could compromise the democratic integrity of the POA, raising questions about the legality of the upcoming elections.

Another contentious point is the lack of clarity on the electoral college, with the PSB alleging that changes may exclude key departments like the Army, Navy, PAF, WAPDA, HEC, and Railways from voting. The letter also highlighted concerns over the POA president’s discretionary power to nominate 16 voting members, questioning the fairness of this practice.

The PSB further inquired whether the POA’s July 6, 2024, election rules had received the necessary IOC approval, urging that these rules be published on the POA website to meet IOC transparency standards.

A clear breach of the IOC Charter was also cited, as the PSB noted that the Pakistan Cycling Federation, despite its international recognition, is absent from the POA’s list of affiliated federations.

The PSB warned that if these issues are not resolved within three days, the POA’s current office-bearers could face legitimacy challenges.

POA has yet to answer any of the queries.