Pakistan to host South Asian judo event

Regional championship to be held in Lahore during the Punjab Sports Festival

KARACHI: Pakistan’s South Asian Judo Championship gold-medallist Karamat Butt is aiming for victory at home in the Punjab Sports Festival International Judo Championship in Lahore, where all South Asian countries will compete on May 16.

The 29-year-old athlete said he is training in Islamabad at the Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) camp with 40 other players for the Asian Senior Judo Championship — that will begin on May 13 in Kuwait — and wants to ensure that Pakistan outplay other countries at home.

“We’ve been winning medals internationally and I want to continue that streak,” Karamat told The Express Tribune. “We’re prepared for the back-to-back events.”

He added that inviting all South Asian countries to Pakistan is going to prove beneficial for judo in the country. “Now we’ll be able to showcase our skills for our people too,” he said. “We won gold medals in Nepal last year at the South Asian Championship, and that was very special. I’m sure winning medals at home will mean a lot more.”

Meanwhile, PJF secretary Masood Ahmed said that holding international events at home is challenging but worth the effort in order to promote judo in the country.

He added that so far India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have confirmed their participation, while Afghanistan and Nepal will reply on Monday. “It’s a major event, for which the teams will start coming to Pakistan on May 10,” said Ahmed. “We’re now busy corresponding with the government and other countries to start the visa process for the players and officials.”

The official said that the athletes will receive ample exposure in Kuwait and will then return to compete in Lahore.

 

 

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