South Asian Games: Raising Pakistan flag in India emotional moment, says Ahmed

PJF secretary proud of judo team’s performance in regional event

KARACHI: Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) secretary and judo team manager at the South Asian Games, Masood Ahmed, said that it was an extremely emotional moment to raise the Pakistani flag in India after bagging two gold medals at the Games in Shillong, India on Tuesday.

Judokas Shah Hussain Shah and Fauzia Yasir won the finals in their respective 100kg and 78kg events to take the country’s gold-medal tally to 12 — Pakistan finished third behind India and Sri Lanka after bagging a total of 106 medals which include 37 silver and 57 bronze — and Ahmed was delighted with the team’s performance.



“This was a big moment for us as judo was the final event of the Games. We even raised Pakistan’s flag at the closing ceremony and it an emotional moment for all of us to raise Pakistan’s flag in India,” Ahmed told The Express Tribune.

Shah, who was making his debut at the tournament, was happy that he chose to feature in the Games rather than other events, for which he had been invited, around the world.

“I’m glad I kept alive my family tradition of winning gold at the Games,” said Shah. “My father [Hussain Shah] has won five gold medals, so now I can show him that I got one too.”

Fauzia, meanwhile, dedicated her gold medal to her 10-month-old daughter, Maryam, whom she had left home to participate in the Games.



“I was losing at one point and I heard the coach yelling that ‘do it for Maryam, do it for Maryam’. I gave it my all after that and I’m glad to have bagged gold. This is for her,” Fauzia told The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 17^th,  2016.

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