As the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) prepares to hold a seminar on Friday to discuss the newly formulated Sports Policy 2024-2029, the invitation extended to departments and federations makes no mention of addressing the controversial constitution recently approved by the Board, which is still awaiting Cabinet approval.
Unlike the Sports Policy, which contains no contentious clauses, the PSB Constitution passed by the Governing Board directly violates the 2014 agreement between the Ministry for Inter-Provincial Coordination (IOC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne. This agreement was made to prevent a potential international ban on Pakistan’s participation in sports events.
The new PSB Constitution, which awaits Cabinet approval, contains several problematic clauses. For example, Clause (x) states that a “national team” is one recognized by the PSB, granting the Board authority over team recognition—a power typically held by sports federations. This power shift gives the PSB unprecedented control over federations, in direct violation of the IOC Charter, which is protected by the United Nations.
The Constitution also empowers the PSB to oversee the affiliation of national sports federations, regulate their functioning, and enforce codes of conduct. Additionally, the PSB has assumed the role of selector and manager for the federations, overriding the authority of international sports bodies.
Other powers granted to the PSB include controlling the selection of national teams, affiliating and regulating sports organizations, and restricting teams or athletes from competing internationally without PSB approval. The Board also has the authority to appoint election commissioners to oversee federation elections and adjudicators to resolve disputes within federations.
Article 16 of the new constitution states that the election commissioner will have the authority to issue guidelines to ensure fair elections, and Article 21 allows the PSB to take over federations’ operations if they are suspended by the Board of Governors. In such cases, an interim committee will manage the suspended federation’s affairs until an inquiry is completed.
If approved by the Cabinet, this constitution could lead to significant conflicts between the PSB and federations, potentially resulting in international sanctions, similar to what Pakistan faced in the past. Many federations remain unaware of the full implications of the new constitution, which could drastically alter their operations.