Pakistan is set to host the much-delayed 14th South Asian Games from January 23 to 31, 2026, the South Asian Olympic Council (SAOC) said.
The games, which were supposed to be held in 2021 but were postponed due to COVID-19, will be staged in Lahore, Faisalabad, and Islamabad from Jan 23 to 31.
After years of uncertainty, Pakistan has now secured the opportunity to host the prestigious event, bringing together athletes from across South Asia to showcase their talent and foster regional unity through sports.
The meeting — chaired by South Asian Olympic Committee Pakistan Olympic Association president Arif Saeed — was attended by the representatives of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives while an Indian spokesperson joined the meeting online.
The South Asian Games, a quadrennial multi-sport event, have been a cornerstone of regional sporting competition since their inception in 1984 under the SAOC.
The upcoming edition will see participation from eight nations—Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka—competing across a variety of sports, including athletics, swimming, and football.
While the official confirmation has been welcomed by the participating nations, there are lingering concerns about the full participation of all countries, particularly India, due to diplomatic tensions.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) may face difficulties in obtaining government approval to send its contingent to Pakistan.
There were problems in holding the multi-nation gala in 2021 as the POA and the government of Pakistan was not on the same page regarding different matters.
With the final dates now confirmed, Pakistan faces the task of preparing the venues and ensuring seamless organization to successfully stage the South Asian Games, which are expected to be a major sporting spectacle in the region.
The meeting reinforced the collective commitment of the South Asian National Olympic Committees to foster regional sports development and strengthen cooperation through sports.
The achievements of javelin star Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem and Neeraj Chopra of India were also highlighted during the meeting.
Moreover, it was also announced that the events for each sport will also be decided before March 31 and the technical handbooks will be prepared and released subject to approval of the Asian Federations concerned.
It was also decided to form the South Asian Olympic Committee Constitution Review Committee to align its constitution with the Olympic Council of Asia.
Rowing, proposed as a second optional sport by the host National Olympic Committee, will be included once it receives endorsement from at least four National Olympic Committees as an additional sport to the already-approved program.
As many as 27 different disciplines were approved in the meeting for the Games. These include:
Swimming (men and women), archery (men and women), athletics (men and women), badminton (men and women), billiards and snooker (Men), boxing (men and women), fencing (men and women), golf (men and women), judo (men and women), karate (men and women), shooting (men and women), squash (men and women), table tennis (men and women), taekwondo (men and women), tennis (men and women), triathlon (men and women), weightlifting (men and women), wrestling (men and women), wushu (men and women), basketball 3x3 and 5x5 (men and women), cricket (men and women), football (men and women), handball (men and women) and beach handball (Men), hockey (Men), mat kabaddi (men and women), rugby (Men), volleyball (men and women) and beach volleyball (Men) and Rowing.