A meeting of the South Asian countries was convened on 26 January 2026 on the sidelines of the 46th General Assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), held in Tashkent.
At the outset of the meeting, the South Asian Olympic family extended its warm congratulations to Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani on his successful and unanimous election as President of the OCA.
The meeting was chaired by HRH Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck, OCA Vice President for South Asia, and was attended by the Presidents and/or Secretaries General of the National Olympic Committees of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
Mr. Arif Saeed, President of the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and the South Asia Olympic Council (SAOC), participated in the meeting along with Mr. Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, Federal Secretary, Ministry of Sports, Government of Pakistan.
Following detailed deliberations, the meeting unanimously decided that the South Asian Games shall be scheduled from 23 to 31 March 2027. The meeting further authorized the Pakistan Olympic Association / NOC Pakistan to make adjustments to the schedule within the same time window, with a flexibility of up to one week, as may be required for operational or logistical reasons.
It was also unanimously agreed by all countries that the sports disciplines and events will remain the same as had already been finalized at the SAOC Executive Committee Meeting held on 25 February 2025 in Lahore, and subsequently circulated to all member countries.
In addition, the South Asian countries agreed to initiate further deliberations on developing a more sustainable and future-oriented model for South Asian sports, with a focus on long-term regional cooperation and efficient delivery of multi-sport events.
During the meeting, Mr. Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, Federal Secretary, Ministry of Sports, extended an invitation to the South Asian countries to visit Pakistan in May 2026, with a view to continuing consultations, reviewing and monitoring the progress of preparations for the South Asian Games, and strengthening regional collaboration in sport.
Source: Pakistan Olympic Committee / NOC Pakistan
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