How SAG 2027 dates shifted from March to April

The 14th South Asian Games have been rescheduled several times since Pakistan was awarded hosting rights after the 2019 Kathmandu–Pokhara edition.

• Original target: around 2021 (later slipped amid COVID-19 and other factors).
• Later windows: March 2023, March 2024, then January 2026 — none held.
• January 2026 (Tashkent / OCA sidelines): South Asian NOCs agreed a March 2027 window (23–31 March, with up to one week flexibility).
• August 2026 (Islamabad): SAOC moved the Games to 3–11 April 2027 and locked the three-city plan.

Sports disciplines agreed earlier (including at the February 2025 SAOC meeting in Lahore) were kept in place when the April dates were set.

Sources: NOC Pakistan, OCA, Dawn