Asim to come back from wilderness

Former Pakistan number one to take part in table tennis championship.

KARACHI:

Eight-time South Asian Games medallist Asim Qureshi will represent Pakistan in the World Table Tennis Individual Championship that will take place in the Netherlands from May 8.

Qureshi, who has spent almost a decade in the wilderness, not playing in any tournament, is one of the five players chosen by the Pakistan Table Tennis Federation (PTTF) to represent the country in the six-day event. The rest of the players are Ali Faisal, Yasir Iqbal, Shabnam Bilal and Ayesha Iqbal.

Qureshi, the former Pakistan number one ranked 500th in the world now, said he is only taking part in the tournament after help from a private sponsor.

“It’s going to be a huge test for me,” Qureshi told The Express Tribune. “The last time I played in the world individual championship was in 1999. The PTTF has been asking me to participate but they would never sponsor. This time too they haven’t.”

According to Qureshi, the PTTF officials have not been serious about the preparations and though a camp will be held in Lahore next week, no coach is available to help the players.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 13^th,  2011.