What Are The Biggest Sporting Events Coming Up in Pakistan?
In the next year or so, sports fans can expect to see some terrific sporting action in Pakistan, like Biggest sporting events coming up Pakistan?. The following are some of the major events that are well worth looking out for.
The 2020 and 2021 Pakistani Super League
This cricket tournament was eagerly awaited at the start of 2020, as it was planned as being the first PSL to take place entirely in Pakistan. It started in February but eventually had to be postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Organizers have been looking for a way to finish the games since them, although the crowded international cricket calendar has made it difficult to do so. There has been talk of the title being awarded to the team that was leading when the event was suspended, the Multan Sultans.
The latest news from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) suggests that they are still actively looking for a way to finish the PSL later in 2020, possibly in November. There are just the semi-finals and final to be played, so cricket fans will be looking forward to an exciting finish.
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The 2021 event will then start not long after this one is concluded. The PCB has already confirmed that Peshawar will be added as a new venue in 2021. This time around, the PSL will take place in February and March.
2021 South Asian Games
2021 will see the 14th South Asian Games take place, and they will be in Pakistan for the first time since 2004. Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Sialkot, and Gujranwala are the cities in Punjab where events will take place, although other cities have expressed interest in hosting some events too. 7 nations will take place in the games.
Reports suggest that the Pakistan government will spend around Rs2 billion on new infrastructure in time for these games. If we look at the overall medals table for the South Asian Games, we can see that Pakistan is in 4th place with 31 gold, 41 silver, and 59 bronze medals. Having the event on home soil gives them a chance to catch up on Sri Lanka in 3rd place.
Among the major pieces of work to be carried out in time for the games are improvements to the Pakistan Sports Complex Islamabad and the Coaching Centre in Peshawar. Other tasks include the laying of artificial hockey turf in Gilgit and the relaying of artificial turf at Bunda Stadium Islamabad.
The National Games
Recent reports mention the possibility of the 34th National Games being held in Quetta in 2020. The month of August has been put forward as a possibility for this happening. In 2019, the 33rd version of this event took place in Peshawar, with 12,000 athletes taking part and the Pakistani Army winning first place.
One issue that could stop this happening in 2020 is if another major international sporting event is scheduled for the same time. With many events cancelled or postponed, there are attempts being made to re-schedule numerous competitions all around the planet.
In fact, Balochistan was due to have hosted the 2019 event but it was eventually moved to Peshawar following a number of postponements. At that time, it was agreed that the 2020 event would be in Balochistan, with the dates to be agreed at a later stage. Quetta had also been allocated the games in 2012, but was unable to arrange the event.
The global health scare has made 2020 a difficult year for sport in every country, but it is clear that there is a lot to look forward to in Pakistan in the next 12 months.
