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Events
PJF seeks to get fighters trained in Uzbekistan or Mongolia www.thenews.com.pk
KARACHI: Uzbekistan and Mongolia are on the radar of the Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) for traininig of its top fighters ahead of the Commonwealth Games slated to be held in Birmingham from July 28 to August 8 this year.
“Foreign training is absolutely necessary. We are considering sending our top fighters to either Uzbekistan, to train in the IJF academy, or Mongolia,” PJF vice-president and media director Masood Ahmed told ‘The News’ in an interview on Tuesday.
“Our fighters need to train with the best lot and we will be able to get some good sparring partners in these countries. It all depends on the state support and we will definitely request the government to back us before the Commonwealth Games where we have solid medal chances,” Masood said.
In the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Japan-based judoka Shah Hussain won silver medal. He was the only judoka from Pakistan who featured in those Games.
Judo was not part of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Masood said that besides Shah they had a few fighters who could do wonders in Birmingham.
“This time we want to send at least four male and two female fighters to Birmingham,” Masood said.
“Besides Shah, we have Qaiser Afridi, who recently won bronze in the Asia-Oceania Junior Championship in Beirut, Hamid Ali and Haseeb from HEC who played outstandingly in the recently held national event in Peshawar,” he said.
Masood also urged the government to help the PJF in holding camp for the Commonwealth Games as soon as possible. “We need a camp at the earliest and I hope the state will back us,” he said.
The PJF plans to keep 16 male and 12 female judokas in the camp.
To a query, Masood said that the federation had interacted with a Russian coach but he did not promise his availability.
“We will look at this matter as a foreign coach is important. There are a handful of major events ahead for us and we will definitely need a good coach,” said Masood, also a former PJF secretary.
The big issue which PJF is facing is Shah Hussain’s weight category. Shah, the two-time Olympian, has played during his entire career in the -100 kilogramme in which he also took part in the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Games. But now he wants to change his weight and come down to 90kg. He is currently 120 kg and he will have to reduce his weight by 30kg.
Masood said that the PJF could only give him advice on his new decision. “We have told him if he comes down to the 90kg weight category then it will be difficult for him to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics as he will have to start from zero there. But he has made up his mind. He is also determined to reduce his weight. Let’s see how it goes,” he said.
His father Hussain Shah told ‘The News’ from Japan on Tuesday that it would not be easy for Shah Hussain to reduce his weight to 90kg.
“Age also counts and I don’t think he will be able to come down to 90kg. I will talk to him and will advise which weight will be good for him. I think he needs to stick to -100kg in which he has done so well so far and can also easily qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics,” said Hussain Shah, the only Pakistani boxer to have won bronze at Olympics — in 1988 in Seoul.
Shah Hussain was part of the national event which concluded in Peshawar on Monday where he won golds in both the open and -100kg weight categories. He was seen in the video, dislodging his opponents with an enviable ease.
Published Date:2022-01-05
