Masoom, a former Mr Pakistan and Mr Asia title holder, said the country’s poor performance in the Athens Olympics 2004, Melbourne Commonwealth Games 2006 and Doha Asian Games 2006 proved his point.
Talking to Daily Times here on Tuesday, the 38-year-old bodybuilder said even in the regional events Pakistan stood nowhere. “I am afraid that Pakistan would not be able to win any medals in the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games,” he added. He said retired army officials were running the POA administration. “POA president Arif Hasan is a retired lieutenant general, POA associate secretary Mohammad Yahya is a retired lieutenant colonel and POA treasurer Mohammad Afzal is a retired major. It seems that the civilians of the country are incapable to run the affairs of the POA,” he said.
Masoom, who won many international titles for the country, said POA officials were not accountable to anyone and Yahya was the ‘de-facto secretary general’ of the POA. “They don’t believe in rule of law. And if someone talks about their ‘unlawful activities, they slap him with a life ban just like me,” he lamented. Masoom said when the Pakistani athletes failed miserably at the last Asian Games in Qatar the high-ups of the POA should have resigned. “But they did not. They ‘hurriedly’ got themselves re-elected for another term of four years before the national elections because they were afraid of the newly elected democratic government.”
He said the aim of the POA officials was not promotion of sports but to keep themselves busy in foreign tours. “There must be audit of the POA accounts and the public must know that how many tours they have undertaken for the last four years.” The Pakistan’s star athlete, who has been banned for life for trying to solve a dispute between the two parallel bodybuilding bodies, said the POA’s highhandedness could be seen with the formation of a new Pakistan Bodybuilding Federation (PBF) with Yahya as its president. “We went to Yahya for arbitration between the two groups of the PBF. But instead of resolving the dispute, he himself became the president and banned me.”
Masoom said on the PBF elections day Punjab, Sindh, NWFP and Police department boycotted the elections because of ‘sudden’ rule change in the electoral process. “Due to boycott the quorum was broken. The meeting should have been adjourned as per the rules of the POA. But they went ahead with the elections. According to POA constitution no sports organisation can be formed unless three provinces are the members of that sports federation.” He said ‘unlawful’ PBF was formed by the POA to increase its votes in the general council. “The PBF elected an ‘uneducated man’ as its secretary. It is a shame that he is representing Pakistan in international events. Recently, the PBF sent two officials with one athlete to participate in the Asian Bodybuilding Championship.” He said according to the Asian Bodybuilding Federation (ABF) rules, only one official is allowed with three athletes.
To a question, Masoom replied the PBF had not given him anything in black and white regarding his life-ban two years back. “The orders are only verbal. This is mockery of justice.” Masoom hoped the newly formed sports ministry would take notice of the irregularities committed in the POA, the organisation responsible for decline of sports in the country. “I have faith in the new set up. The new government should clean our sports federations of black sheep.”
Masoom claimed bodybuilding was a popular sport in the country. “I won many titles, including five in UK, for my country. I am doing this on my own. I want to earn more laurels for my country at the World Championships to be held in Bahrain this year.” He said he had even spoken to the ABF secretary general on phone about his participation. “But he said that he can only let me compete if the PBF sends my entry. It is sad that the PBF has banned me from competing only because of personal grudges.” Masoom appealed to the government to let him represent Pakistan.
Masoom Butt’s factbox
Mr Lahore 1990
Mr Pakistan 1992
Jr Mr Asia 1992
Mr Asia 1993
Mr Universe (4th position) 1993
Mr Universe (7th position) 1994
Mr Universe NABBA (5th position) 2003
Mr Universe NABBA (4th position) 2005
Pro-am Oscars (UK winner overall 2007)
Mr International (UK winner overall 2007)
Cledonian Pro-am (UK winner overall 2007)
Titan-show London (winner overall 2007).
source: daily times
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