National Games postponed

Chandigarh, May 11: The XXXI National Games-2000, which were scheduled from November 5 to 16, will now be conducted from November 18 to 26 by the Punjab Olympic Association. According to the POA sources, the Indian Olympic Association has postponed the games by two weeks as India is bidding for the 2000 Asian Games in the OCA meeting in Pusan (Korea) in the first week of November.

“The new dates have been finalised to avoid clash of dates with the National Games and bidding of the Asian Games,” he said. Punjab has also sought postponement of the Games. According to IOA guidelines, no National Games should be conducted in the same year when the Olympic or the Asian Games are organised. For this valid reason, the Organising Committee of the National Games-2000 has sought postponement of the Games, though it is clearly told the IOA that `Punjab can organise the Games even at a short notice of 10 to 15 days.’

The National Games will now be a nine-day affair instead of 12-day affair.

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Meanwhile, the weightlifting competitions of the National Games have been shifted from Ludhiana to Patiala due to `technical problems’. This is the second disciplines to be shifted from Ludhiana. Earlier the venue of the swimming competitions was changed from Ludhiana to Patiala.

Competitions in the National Games will be held in Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Chandigarh and Anandpur Sahib.