Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The South Asian Olympic Council (SAOC) on Tuesday reaffirmed Pakistan as the host nation for the 14th South Asian Games, which has been postponed repeatedly since 2023.
The games will be held from March 23 to 31 next year.
The decision was made during a high-profile SAOC meeting held on the sidelines of the 46th General Assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) in Tashkent. Representatives of the National Olympic Committees from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka attended the meeting.
At the meeting, Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and SAOC President Arif Saeed invited representatives from South Asian countries to visit Pakistan in May this year to review preparations for the Games.
The meeting also confirmed that the sports disciplines and events, which were finalized during the SAOC Executive Committee Meeting in Lahore in February last year, will remain unchanged.
Originally scheduled for March 2023, the 14th South Asian Games were postponed first to March 2024 and then to January 2026.
It remains uncertain whether India will participate in the games, as tensions between India and Pakistan have led both cricket teams from both countries to refuse to visit each other’s territory, instead playing at neutral venues.
The 13th South Asian Games were held in Nepal from December 1 to 10, 2019.
