Handball, volleyball, boxing squads leave for Baku today

Islamic Games

KARACHI: Pakistan’s medal chances in the Islamic Games are not high but a few officials are confident that their athletes would reach victory podium in the spectacle which explodes into action in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku from May 12.

Pakistan’s contingent will start leaving for Baku in small groups from Monday (today). Handball, volleyball and boxing squads will fly out of Islamabad for Baku today, a senior official of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) told ‘The News’ on Sunday.

The handball team will reach there around 1:30am on Tuesday and will face Azerbaijan at 6pm the same day.

Boxers Arshad Hussain and Niamatullah were scheduled to fly out of Islamabad for Baku at 3am on Monday.

They will join five boxers in Baku who will move there from Tashkent where they featured in Asian Championships. Boxing coaches Ali Bakhsh and Tariq Gujar will leave through a separate flight at 9:30am on Monday (today).

Pakistan is expecting medals in athletics and wushu.

In athletics the authorities expect seven or eight medals. “We expect seven or eight medals if the Islamic world has not progressed so much. If we compare the records of the medallists of the last edition with our athletes’ current performances I think we may get seven to eight medals,” Athletics Federation of Pakistan’s (AFP) president Maj Gen (retd) Akram Sahi told ‘The News’.

“In female javelin throw, hammer throw, both relays, 200m and 400m hurdles we have chances. Iran and Turkey have good female athletes. Gulf nations normally compete in long races and so we are optimistic,” Sahi said.

“In men’s contests, we have chances in 400 and 100 relays, javelin, triple jump, long jump and 400m hurdles,” Sahi added.

Pakistan will field 14 men and 11 women athletes with four officials in the spectacle.

Pakistan also has a chance in wushu. “I expect at least two gold medals,” Pakistan Wushu Federation’s (PWF) president Malik Iftikhar told ‘The News’ a few days ago.

As many as six fighters are being fielded in the Baku affair in wushu. Pakistan was to feature in the discipline in Indonesia Islamic Games but could not do so due to conflicts between sports bodies at home.

In shooting, Pakistan is set to field ten shooters and head coach Razi Ahmed Khan is hopeful that his shooters will qualify for finals in three or four events.

“In shooting nothing is certain; anything may happen. But I am quite hopeful that we will be able to make it to finals in three or four events. One cannot say if medal will come or not as it is like sudden death when you reach the finals,” Razi told ‘The News’.

The shooting squad will leave for Baku on Tuesday (tomorrow) from Lahore.

Pakistan Tennis Federation’s (PTF) secretary Khalid Rehmani said that his team was not as strong as the one which featured in the 2005 Islamic Games held in Saudi Arabia.

“We don’t have Aisam and Abid Ali Akbar. Aisam is preparing for French Open while Abid is in America. We have Aqeel KHan, Muzammil Murtaza and Mohammad Abid in the men’s squad. Morocco, Egypt and Indonesia are tough. We may have a chance if other top countries do not field their top seeds who are preparing for France Open,” Khalid said.

“We also have four female players in our squad,” Khalid said.

In the 2005 Islamic Games, Pakistan claimed three gold and one bronze in tennis. The country’s ace tennis player Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi won gold in men’s singles. He along with Aqeel Khan claimed gold in doubles.

Pakistan got third gold in team event and Aqeel secured bronze in men’s singles.

In weightlifting, there is little chance of a medal. “Mostly world and Olympic champions belong to Islamic countries and they will come there. So I can say we have a distant chance,” Pakistan Weightlifting Federation’s (PWF) secretary Amjad Amin Butt said. Pakistan is fielding four weightlifters in the competitions.

Pakistan Wrestling Federation (PWF) secretary Arshad Sattar also said it was difficult to get medal. “Most of the top wrestlers are in Islamic countries and so I don’t think we will get a medal,” he said.

A boxing coach said that the country had “no chance”.

There is also no chance in volleyball, karate, taekwondo, table tennis, handball, swimming and zurkhaneh and basketball (both male and female) which is not being sponsored by the PSB.

Pakistan is fielding a 215-member contingent in 15 disciplines.