Asia Pacific Games 2013: We can win more medals in regional games, says Ishrat

Coach confident as 60-member contingent gears up for Special Olympics.

Our Correspondent November 19, 2013

Pakistan will be fielding the athletes in seven disciplines including football, basketball, badminton, aquatics, table tennis, athletics and bocce (a game for athletes with lower intelligence). PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: The 20-year-old Nabeela Mukhtar will be making a debut at the upcoming Special Olympics Asia Pacific Games 2013 in Australia starting December 1.

Nabeela, who has the intelligence of a six-year-old child, will be among 60 athletes from Pakistan who will participate in the regional Games. They will be competing among 2000 athletes from 32 countries in Newcastle.

Pakistan will be fielding the athletes in seven disciplines including football, basketball, badminton, aquatics, table tennis, athletics and bocce (a game for athletes with lower intelligence).

“I want to go to Australia and represent Pakistan,” an excited Mukhtar told The Express Tribune. “I’ll play well because it’s fun. I play bocce with seven of my friends all the time. I will win a medal for Pakistan.”

Mukhtar is trained by Ishrat Zehra, who is among the 18 Special Olympics Pakistan (SOP) coaches. Each coach has four athletes to manage for the Games while the contingent, comprising of 18 athletes from Karachi, 19 from Lahore and 23 from Islamabad, have been a part of the preparations in different camps.

“Hopefully these athletes will perform well,” said Ishrat. “We did well in the Special Olympics Summer Games last time. We can win more medals in the regional games too. Each athlete will be participating in three events.”

Meanwhile, coach Arif Hussain said that it is more important to encourage the athletes and make each one feel like a winner at the end of the day.

“These athletes need a lot of care,” said Hussain. “They need to be comfortable before the competition as well as we’ve shortlisted the best from 16,000 SOP registered athletes.”

The SOP organised the meeting with the athletes Tuesday before their departure to Australia on November 27.

Previously, Pakistan won 56 medals at the Special Olympics Summer Games 2011 in Athens.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2013.

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