Knocked out: Boxers not going for Olympic qualifiers

PSB refuses to grant pugilists NOCs or funds for Asia-Oceania event.

KARACHI: Pakistani boxers feel cheated and betrayed as they had to watch their Olympic qualification hopes shatter in front of their eyes as the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) refused to give them the non-objection certificate (NOC) to travel to China for the Asia-Oceania Olympic qualifiers.

The Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) was supposed to send 10 boxers for the Olympic qualifiers and the pugilists had been preparing for it since a year at the National Coaching Centre in Karachi.

Most of them came from different cities and had to stay away from their homes for the duration of the camp, with nothing but the dream of representing their country to keep them going.



However, with their hopes and dreams shattered, the boxers lamented PSB’s indifference to the issue.

“I’m 32 and for me this was my last chance to feature in an Olympic event. Every one of us is just shocked and sad. Why did the PSB refuse to give the NOCs? Maybe Pakistan should only have cricket and other sports should just be banned,” Hassan Mehmood, who was supposed to take part in the +91kg event, told The Express Tribune.

PSB Director Akhtar Ganjera, meanwhile, blamed the PBF for not submitting the schedule for the qualifiers beforehand.



“It is unfair to the athletes, absolutely, but PSB doesn’t have any funds at the moment,” said Ganjera. “They should have given us their schedule for the qualifiers beforehand. They can’t possibly expect us to just arrange the funds or the NOC at such short notice.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 24^th, 2016.

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