Pakistan Olympic Association (POA), also known as the National Olympic Committee of Pakistan (NOC; Urdu: پاکستان اولمپک ایسوسی ایشن, acronym: POA), is the national Olympic organization in Pakistan.[2] It was established in 1948 to oversee the active participation of the newly independent state at the Olympiad. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the country's founder and first Governor-General, became the patron-in-chief of the new institution,[3] and Ahmed E.H. Jaffar became its first President.[4]
 | |
| Country/Region |  Pakistan |
|---|---|
| Code | PAK |
| Created | 1948 |
| Recognized | 1948 |
| Continental Association | OCA |
| Headquarters | Lahore, Pakistan |
| President | Capt (R) Syed Muhammad Abid Qadri Gillani[1] |
| Secretary General | Muhammad Khalid Mahmood |
| Website | nocpakistan |
Over the years, the association has been responsible for fundraising and setting up the management of delegations for the Olympic Games.[5] As an NOC, the association is the first contact point for the International Olympic Committee. Some of its members are also active participants in various management activities at the IOC. Within the country, the association remains the oldest sports body. It was the premier regulator of sports activities in Pakistan from 1948 until the establishment of Pakistan Sports Board in 1962.[6]
The Association continues to develop programmes in co-ordination with its affiliated bodies to promote sports at various levels. It is also responsible for Pakistan's representation at the Commonwealth Games[7] and organising the annual National Games.
Recognition
editAfter the independence of the country from the British Raj on 14 August 1947, the need was immediately realised to promote the culture of sports within the country and ensure wider participation and recognition at international level.[8] In this respect, POA was affiliated by the International Olympic Committee in 1948. Subsequently, it also became a member of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).[9]
POA Presidents
editList of presidents is given below:[10]
| Name | Tenure |
|---|---|
| Ahmad E. H. Jaffer | 25 February 1949 – 27 February 1950 |
| Malik Ghulam Muhammad | 27 February 1950 – 5 November 1951 |
| Abdur Rab Nishtar | 5 November 1951 – 21 August 1955 |
| Chaudhry Mohammad Ali | 21 August 1955 – September 1956 |
| Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy | September 1956 – 6 March 1958 |
| Feroz Khan Noon | 16 March 1958 – 16 November 1958 |
| Muhammad Azam Khan | 16 November 1958 – 22 September 1963 |
| Rana Abdul Hamid Khan | 22 September 1963 – 3 April 1972 |
| Malik Meraj Khalid | 3 April 1972 – November 1977 |
| Syed Wajid Ali | 3 March 1978 – 11 March 2004 |
| Syed Arif Hasan[2] | 11 March 2004 – 1 January 2024 |
| Syed Muhammad Abid Qadri Gilani[11] | 2 January 2024 - present |
POA Executive Committee
edit| Designation | Name |
|---|---|
| President | Captain (R) Syed Muhammad Abid Qadri Gilani |
| IOC Member | Syed Shahid Ali |
| Vice-President | Syed Aqil Shah |
| Chaudhry Muhammad Yaqub | |
| Shaukat Javed | |
| Brig. Muhammad Zaheer Akhtar | |
| Khalid Saleem | |
| Syed Muhammad Abid Qadri | |
| Begum Ishrat Ashraf | |
| Fatima Lakhani | |
| Secretary General | Muhammad Khalid Mahmood |
| Treasurer | Muhammad Shafiq |
| Deputy Secretary General | Muhammad Jahangir |
| Associate Secretary General | Ahmad Ali Rajput |
| Zulfiqar Ali Butt | |
| Rizwan-ul-Haq Razi | |
| Hafiz Imran Butt | |
| Ahmar Mallick | |
| Veena Salman Masud | |
| Executive Member | Ahmad Yahya Khan |
| Muhammad Rashid Malik | |
| Nargis Maqbool Rahimtoola | |
| Saba Shamim Akhtar | |
| Sumera Sattar | |
| Wajid Ali Choudhry |
Affiliated associations
editThe association controls its memberships through the working of its Affiliation and Constitution Committee, which is composed of the provincial sports bodies and POA officials.[2] The following are the major sports federations and associations affiliated with the POA:[12]
Provincial Olympic Associations
edit- Balochistan Olympic Association
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Olympic Association
- Punjab Olympic Association
- Sindh Olympic Association
- Kashmir Olympic Association
Services organisations
edit- Pakistan Army
- Pakistan Navy
- Pakistan Air Force
- Pakistan Railways
- Pakistan Police
- Water & Power Development Authority (WAPDA)
- Higher Education Commission (HEC)
National sports federations
editIOC permanent Olympic sports
editIOC Winter Olympic sports
edit| Sport | National federation |
|---|---|
| Skating | Pakistan Skating Association |
| Skiing | Ski Federation of Pakistan |
IOC recognized sports
edit| Sport | National federation |
|---|---|
| Air sports | All Pakistan Aeromodelling and Ultra Light Association |
| Auto racing | Motorsport Association of Pakistan |
| Baseball | Pakistan Federation Baseball |
| Bowling | Pakistan Bowling Federation |
| Bridge | Pakistan Bridge Federation |
| Canoeing | Pakistan Canoe and Kayak Federation |
| Chess | Chess Federation of Pakistan |
| Cricket | Pakistan Cricket Board |
| Floorball | Pakistan Floorball Federation |
| Karate | Pakistan Karate Federation |
| Korfball | Pakistan Korfball Federation |
| Lifesaving | Pakistan Aquatic Life Saving |
| Mountaineering and climbing | Alpine Club of Pakistan |
| Netball | Pakistan Netball Federation |
| Orienteering | Pakistan Orienteering Association |
| Polo | Pakistan Polo Association |
| Racquetball | Racquetball Association of Pakistan |
| Roller sports | Pakistan Federation of Roller Skating |
| Rowing | Pakistan Rowing Federation |
| Softball | Pakistan Softball Federation |
| Squash | Pakistan Squash Federation |
| Sumo | Pakistan Sumo Federation |
| Tug of war | Pakistan Tug of War Federation |
| Wushu | Pakistan Wushu Federation |
Others
editThe following are the federations of sports not considered by the IOC as a 'sport':
| Sport | National Federation |
|---|---|
| Bodybuilding | Pakistan Bodybuilding Federation |
| Ball hockey | Pakistan Street and Ball Hockey Federation |
| Darts | Pakistan Darts Federation |
| Fishing | Pakistan Game Fishing Association |
| Fistball | Pakistan Fistball Federation |
| Ju-jitsu | Pakistan Ju-Jitsu Federation |
| Kabaddi | Pakistan Kabaddi Federation |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Abid Qadri Gillani elected new POA president
- ^ a b c National Olympic Committee's Ada Jaffery nominated for prestigious awards Dawn (newspaper), Published 3 October 2018, Retrieved 26 May 2019
- ^ Jinnah, M.A. (1989). Speeches and Statements as Governor-General of Pakistan. Directorate of Films & Publications. Government of Pakistan. p.245
- ^ Hussain, S.T. (1949). The Pakistan Year Book & Who's Who. Kitabistan. p. 779
- ^ National Olympic Committee (Pakistan Olympic Association) on Olympic.org website Retrieved 28 December 2020
- ^ Homepage of Pakistan Sports Board Retrieved 28 December 2020
- ^ "Pakistan at the Commonwealth Games". Commonwealth Games Federation website. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ Qureshi, I.H. (1957). The Pakistani Way of Life. W. Hoinemann.
- ^ Large contingent would have fetched more medals for Pakistan: Pakistan Olympic Association Dawn (newspaper), Published 8 December 2019, Retrieved 29 December 2020
- ^ "Gen Arif elected POA president unopposed". 12 March 2004.
- ^ Pakistan Olympic Association Office Bearers
- ^ "Welcome to Pakistan Olympic Association". nocpakistan.org. Retrieved 16 February 2022.