Shah key to Olympic qualification

Judoka has to improve ranking by February to secure place in Rio

KARACHI: The Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) is pinning their hopes on 2014 Commonwealth Games silver-medallist Shah Hussain Shah to improve his rankings by February in order to qualify for the 2016 Olympics.

Currently ranked 43, Shah has to get among the top 40 judokas of the world to have any chance of qualifying for the Games in Rio next year.

“We need to send Shah in at least seven events before February to make sure he gets a chance to improve his rankings,” Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) secretary Masood Ahmed told The Express Tribune. “We are hoping he can break into the top 40 by the start of next year.”

Ahmed also said that the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has been interested in Shah’s progress as well, with the board promising financial grants to assure the PJF its support. “We’ve written to the PSB director and have received a positive response. Even they want Pakistan to feature in the Olympics as we don’t have any other sport competing in Rio, with both boxing and hockey out of the running.”

In addition to the Games next year, the PJF is targeting the 2020 Olympics in Japan and intends to send at least three judokas for various events in the next few years to increase their exposure. The secretary added that new players will be given the opportunity to participate in the upcoming Asian Championships in Thailand and the Tajikistan President’s Cup Championship in Dushanbe to showcase their talent.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24^th, 2015.

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