Athletes’ woes: Pakistan needs to upgrade training: Ali

National record-holder in 100m and 200m laments low standard of facilities

KARACHI: Pakistan’s fastest 100m and 200m sprinter Liaqat Ali says the reason Pakistani athletes are unable to excel in international competitions is their poor standard of coaching and training.

Two athletes from Pakistan have been given wild card entry at the Rio Olympics, but Ali feels they are not getting the right training and coaching.

“We have the talent to beat others if we’re given the right training,” Ali told The Express Tribune.



He added that the training facilities they utilise before any competition barely meet international standards. “Our coach Maqsood Ahmed is a good coach and he also feels that we have to improve our training before anything else.”

Ali said that although national athletes train hard, their efforts will only pay off when the quality of training improves.

“I request the authorities to help athletes polish their skills by training abroad,” said Ali. “China is the most economical option and we also have good relations with them. We should be sent there.”

The sprinter reasoned that for any athlete, Olympics is the ultimate dream and whoever goes to Rio will need the best training they can get.

Meanwhile, the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) has decided to change the entries sent to the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) for Rio, as two players performed extraordinarily well in the recent National Athletics Championships.



Earlier, Maria Maratab was named in the 100m hurdles and Muhammad Ikram for the 800m race. However, the federation changed its mind after Mehboob Ali broke a 12-year-old record in the 400m race and Najma Parveen won six gold medals in the championship.

The AFP has requested the IAAF to approve the changes but has yet to receive confirmation. According to the federation, if the international body refuses to make the changes, they will not send any other athletes as they believe no one else can produce the results.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 28^th, 2016.

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