"The rowers trained for two-and a-half months for the championship. It is expected that Pakistan will win medals in Dubai," PRF vice-president Abdul Rahim Babai. PHOTO: FILE
This year, the ASRA Championship will feature around 60 schools in four events from different countries including India, Sri Lanka, the UAE and Hong Kong along with Pakistan.
The participants will compete in the Under-15 and Under-19 boys and girls competitions. The squad left for the championship with great expectations.
Lamiya Mandviwala, representing CAS, said that this will be her first international trip.
“I’m excited about the event, but it’s also going to be really tough,” Lamiya told The Express Tribune.
“This is the first international trip for me. I’ve been rowing for two years now and hopefully I’ll perform well.”
The squad comprises students from eight schools including The Lyceum School, Nixor College, South Shore, Karachi Grammar School, Habib Public School, BVS Parsi, CAS, Bay View Academy, and the Convent of Jesus and Mary.
The significance of the championship for Pakistan will be to promote rowing as a sport at the grass-root level. The programme will also impart free training from camps at different rowing centres in Asia.
Pakistan has been an active member of the programme. The Pakistan Rowing Federation (PRF) and Karachi Boat Club also hosted the championship in 2012, where local rowers won 11 gold medals in four events.
Pakistan is expected to win medals in Dubai: Babai
The Pakistani rowers are going to the event with satisfactory preparation this time, according to PRF vice-president Abdul Rahim Babai.
“The rowers trained for two-and-a-half months for the championship,” said Babai. “It is expected that Pakistan will win medals in Dubai.
“I’m sure of it in the boy’s senior’s event. Hassan Currimbhoy represented Pakistan in the Asian Junior Championship last year. Hopefully his experience will help him.”
Babai said that the two-day races will begin on February 7 and the team will return on February 9.
“Coaches Asghar Ali, Imran Ali and Jameel Ahmed worked hard with the rowers,” he added. “However, I believe the girls might face tougher competition in the championship compared to the boys.”
He concluded by saying, “I’ve told the rowers that they are the ambassadors of Pakistan when they are competing abroad. They are all well-groomed and I believe they can promote a softer image of the country.”
Published in The Express Tribune, February 5th, 2014.
Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ