Bad beginning in Baku

Pakistan endures a less than ideal start to Islamic Games

KARACHI: Pakistan started off their 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games campaign in Baku, Azerbaijan on the wrong foot as the men's handball team finished a lowly seventh, whereas the volleyball team lost 3-0 to the hosts in their first match.

In the last game of the handball event, Pakistan defeated Jordan 33-31 but the result came too little too late.

The volleyball team, meanwhile, fought hard against Azerbaijan in their preliminaries clash, but nonetheless lost 25-22, 25-18 and 25-21 to finish with an overall deficit of 75-61.

As things currently stand, Pakistan occupy third place in Group A, with Turkey and Azerbaijan leading the pack in that order.

Pakistan have sent a strong contingent of 220 to the Games with their teams set to partake in 14 sports, including tennis, volleyball, handball, zurkhaneh, weightlifting, wrestling and karate.

While Pakistani athletes are full of enthusiasm at taking part in the Islamic Games, Libya, Sudan and Kuwait chose not to send their teams and pulled out.