Pakistan Olympic Association

Pakistan Olympic Association

Pakistan Olympic Association logo
Country/Region	Pakistan
Code	PAK
Created	1948
Recognized	1948
Continental Association	OCA
Headquarters	Lahore, Pakistan
President	Syed Arif Hasan
Secretary General	Muhammad Khalid Mahmood
Website	www.nocpakistan.org

Pakistan Olympic Association (acronym: POA) is the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Pakistan. The association was established in 1948 to oversee the active participation of the newly independent state at the Olympiad. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the first Governor-General of the country also became the patron-in-chief of the new institution,^[1] whereas Ahmed E.H. Jaffar became its first President.^[2] Over the years, the association has been responsible for fundraising and setting up the management of delegations for the Olympic Games.^[3] 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.^[4] 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^[5] and organising the annual National Games event.^[6]

Recognition

After 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.^[7] 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) respectively.^[8]

POA Presidents

1. Ahmad E. H. Jaffer (from 25 February 1949 to 27 February 1950).
2. Ghulam Muhammad (from 27 February 1950 to 5 November 1951).
3. Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar (from 5 November 1951 to 21 August 1955).
4. Chaudhry Muhammad Ali (from 21 August 1955 to Sept 1956).
5. H. S. Suhrawardy (from Sept 1956 to 6 March 1958).
6. Feroz Khan Noon (from 16 March 1958 to 16 November 1958).
7. Lt-Gen Azam Khan (from 16 November 1958 to 22 September 1963).
8. Rana Abdul Hamid Khan (from 22 September 1963 to 3 April 1972).
9. Malik Meraj Khalid (from 3 April 1972 to Nov 1977).
10. Syed Wajid Ali (from 3 March 1978 to 11 March 2004).
11. Lt-Gen R Syed Arif Hassan (from 11 March 2004 to date).

State Olympic Associations

The association controls its memberships through the working of its Affiliation and Constitution Committee (ACC) which is composed of the pronvincial sports bodies and POA officials. ^[9] Following are the major sports federations and associations affiliated with the POA:

• Balochistan Olympic Association
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Olympic Association
• Punjab Olympic Association
• Sindh Olympic Association
• Kashmir Olympic Association

National Sports Federations

IOC Permanent Olympic Sports

IOC Winter Olympic Sports

IOC Recognized Sports

Others

Following are some federations of those sports which IOC do not considers as a Sport.

See also

• Sport in Pakistan
• Pakistan at the Olympics

References

External links

• Official website of the association