Will India travel to Pakistan for 2027 South Asian Games?

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said any decision on India's participation in the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games 2027 to be held in Pakistan is guided by the recent policy of the sports ministry.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said this in his response to a query at his media briefing, where he was asked about some reports related to India and the SAF Games.

"India's participation in any international tournament or a multilateral championship is guided by the recent policy that has been announced by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. And that policy is there in public domain, so please have a look at that," Jaiswal said.

"There we are guided by what directions or what the international bodies, sports bodies have to say on such matters, as also the interest of our sports people," he added.

Pakistan will host the SAF Games from April 3 to 11 across Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar next year. The South Asia Olympic Council (SAOC) approved the dates and venues for the regional multi-sport event at a recent meeting in Islamabad, according to the Olympics webiste.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on its website carries a file, titled 'Indian Policy Towards International Sporting Events'.

"With regard to international and multilateral events, in India or abroad, we are guided by the practices of international sports bodies and the interest of our own sportspersons. It is also relevant to take into account India's emergence as a credible venue to host international sports events," reads the policy.

"Accordingly, Indian teams and individual players will take part in international events that also have teams or players from Pakistan. Similarly, Pakistani players and teams will be able to participate in such multilateral events hosted by India," it says.

(With inputs from PTI)