14th South Asian Games deferred to 2027

The 14th edition of the South Asian (SA) Games has once again been postponed. According to the revised schedule, the nine-day multi-sport event will now be held in Pakistan in March next year.

The development was confirmed in a press release issued by the Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) on Wednesday.

The Games were originally scheduled to take place in March 2023. However, after several postponements, the regional event is now set to be held after a gap of eight years.

On Monday, the 46th General Assembly of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. A separate meeting of the South Asian Olympic Council (SAOC) was also convened on the sidelines to discuss the organisation of the SA Games.

Following detailed discussions, the meeting unanimously decided that the South Asian Games will be hosted by Pakistan from March 23 to 31, 2027, said the press release.

It was also decided that the disciplines and events approved at the SAOC Executive Committee meeting held in Lahore in February 2025 will remain unchanged for this edition of the Games.

Representatives of all National Olympic Committees from South Asia -- Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka -- were present at the meeting.