PBF executive committee meeting within two weeks

KARACHI: The newly-formed Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) is expected to convene its first executive committee meeting at Lahore in the next two weeks.

“We are going to hold our executive committee meeting in the next ten to 15 days in which we will discuss various issues,” the PBF’s newly-elected president Khalid Mehmood told ‘The News’.

He said that in the meeting the roadmap and calendar would be finalised. The PBF seems to be making a fresh beginning vigorously and aims to help its boxers return to the Olympic fold through a concrete policy.

Khalid, who is also the secretary of Pakistan Olympic Association (POA), replaced Doda Khan Bhutto in elections held on January 26 in Peshawar. Doda, who served PBF for eight years, has been made the chairman and Army’s Nasir Tung the secretary.

Pakistan’s boxers last featured in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Pakistani boxers’ immediate task is the Islamic Games, slated to be hosted by Azerbaijan in its capital Baku from May 12-22.

The PBF has held a camp in Karachi carrying 22 boxers.

But the pugilists from the armed forces are yet to join it because of their Inter-Services competitions.

Meanwhile, the PBF also plans to hold another camp at the Pakistan Sports Complex Islamabad this month. It will have 22 boxers. For the Islamic Games, the PBF has sent the entries of probable boxers and it is expected that the formal trials will be held in April for selection of the eight-member side for the Baku assignment.