Asian Championship: Boxers racing against time for preparation

PSB failed to fulfil its promise of providing training facilities and tours


Our Correspondent August 01, 2015
PHOTO: AFP

KARACHI: Pakistani boxers are fighting against the odds to prepare well for the Asian Championship that are scheduled to begin on August 25 and will serve as a qualifying round for the AIBA World Championship in Qatar, which in turn is a direct route to the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) secretary Iqbal Hussain said that 40 pugilists will be joining an ongoing camp in Karachi with head coach Ali Bukhsh.

Hussain rued the Pakistan Sports Board’s (PSB) inability to fulfil its commitment to the boxers despite the federation’s best efforts. “We’re trying our best, but we don’t have much time now,” Hussain told The Express Tribune. “The PSB had promised to provide us with facilities, training tours and a foreign coach, but none of this has happened as yet. Now we are left to prepare on our own.”

The official said that the PBF had specifically requested the PSB to directly help with facilities and tours. “We never asked them for money. Just the facilities,” he added.

He added that the Quetta-based Muhammad Waseem was scheduled to train in Japan, but the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Incheon Asian Games medallist was unable to go due to his mother’s illness. “We arranged the training tour for Waseem on our own, it’s disappointing that it didn’t work out,” said Hussain. “But we’re still fighting tooth and nail to prepare our boxers on time.”

Meanwhile, PSB Director General Akhtar Ganjera was unavailable for comment despite several attempts to contact him.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 2nd, 2015.

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