How long is too long? Pakistan's Olympic family to debate tenure rule

Pakistan's Olympic family on Saturday (tomorrow) will meet in Lahore to discuss the situation of the Olympic movement in the country and a handful of major national and international events to be held in the coming few months.

The POA general council meeting will be chaired by the POA’s supremo Arif Saeed and will be attended by the officials of all POA’s affiliated units from across the county.

The Olympic Movement of Pakistan, in the current context, is to discuss the NSF Tenure Rule 2025 enactment under which the Board has advised all federations to make their constitutions in line with the rules.

Federations have been barred from keeping chairmen, CEOs and other equivalent slots. The president of a federation will be the highest authority in any federation. The maximum age of the officials has been kept 70 years while an official will be eligible to serve in a capacity for two four-year tenures.

According to the rules, an official who will serve for two four-year tenures in a super position will not be able to serve the same federation in any inferior position.

It will be interesting to see how Olympic family decides the matter and what would be its way forward in the whole enterprise.

Quite interestingly Pakistan government has already committed and has signed an agreement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) way back in Lausanne in 2014 that state will not interfere in the internal affairs of the national sports federations and other sports bodies.

National Federations’ constitutions have been approved by both the POA and their respective International Federations (IFs).

Most of the federations will be hit by the rules and in some cases if these rules are accepted then several federations will lose their key people who were the main guardians of their bodies for several years.

This correspondent understands that a conflict situation can be created if Olympic family decides not to endorse the PSB’s new initiative. The big thing which goes in favor of the federations is that naturally general councils of federations are supreme legislative bodies and they can only legislate on such matters. And if they reject the new PSB rules then PSB cannot force them as per regulations. Yes, PSB may give federations tough time by not backing them financially.

It is on record that for the last few years state is making its top-notch effort to tighten noose around national federations by bringing in different kinds of rules which impede their way to act independently.

It would be interesting to see how Olympic family tackles this issue. Nukta understands almost all federations are not in a position to bow before the pressure of the Board.

Agenda points of the meeting include confirmation of the minutes of the Elective General Council Meeting held on December 30, 2024; update on 1st National Youth Games and 35th National Games Pakistan; update on the South Asian Games, continental and other Games; situation of the Olympic Movement in Pakistan; any other matter with the permission of the chair.