South Asian Cross Country Championship rescheduled for February

The South Asian Cross Country Championship has been rescheduled for February 23, 2025, and will be conducted in Islamabad.

South Asian Athletics Federation’s chairman Major General (retd) Mohammad Akram Sahi told Nukta in an interview that the event, which had been postponed earlier, has been rescheduled.

“Yes, we have fixed February 23 as the event date. We had already prepared for it,” Sahi told this correspondent.

“Now we have asked the teams if they are to change any athlete in the squad or not. And if it is the case then, definitely, new entrants will have to get visas,” he said.

“There is also the possibility if a boy was under-20 four months ago, and by the event time he becomes above 20 so they will confirm us soon so that we could manage visas,” Sahi said.

The event, earlier, was scheduled for November 24 but due to smog the hosts had to postpone it.

“Some had got visas and we will contact foreign office whether the already issued visas can be extended or new visas will be issued but the thing is that the process has been completed. And I think there should be no issue in that,” said Sahi, also a former president and chairman of the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP).

Will India send its athletes to Pakistan?

Despite India’s recent stance when it refused to send its kabaddi and blind cricket teams to Pakistan Sahi is confident that India will send its athletics squad for the cross country.

“I am more confident that India will send its team,” Sahi said.

“Until now they have not told us any such thing that they have any issue and any doubt in coming to Pakistan. India had also managed visas for our junior side, out of the way, to ensure its participation in recent months in the South Asian Junior Athletics Championship. They had issued us visas on the weekly holiday. We have also not got any indication from the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) that there could be any problem in sending the squad to Pakistan,” Sahi said.

Pakistan had fielded 12 athletes in the South Asian Junior Athletics Championship held in Chennai in September.

Asked if India does not send its team, then what will be their reaction, Sahi said still they would go for holding the event.

“If any team does not come due to certain reason, then fine, there is no issue. We will go for the event. Yes, it would be fine if all teams ensure their presence. It will make the event most competitive,” Sahi said.

This is the first time that Pakistan is hosting the South Asian Cross Country Championship.

The event will be contested in senior and under-20 categories. Only male athletes will be showcasing their talent.

The seniors will run for ten kilometers while the juniors will run for eight kilometers.

Each country will have eight athletes, four each in both categories.

Besides eight athletes each country’s athletics federation’s president and secretary along with a coach or official will be part of the touring parties. This will swell the total strength to 56 as seven nations will be going to field their squads.

The nations which will feature in the event include hosts Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India and Maldives.

As per rules four athletes of each nation will run and the time of the first three will be counted.

Major General Sahi, who is also the vice-president of Asian Athletics Association (AAA), revealed to Nukta that the AAA president General Dahlan Al-Hamad, who belongs to Qatar, and Secretary General A Shuggumarran of Singapore, will also grace the occasion.

“Yes, we have invited them and they have committed to grace the event. It would be a huge time when they will be with us on the event’s day,” Sahi said.