KARACHI: Some magical hands will be needed to prepare the available boxing stuff for the next year’s Asian qualifying round for Olympics in China, writes Alam Zeb Safi. Pakistan’s boxing experts are not happy with the performance of the players who recently took part in the 35th National Boxing Championship here last week. “No unusual talent was seen and it will not be easy for these boxers to win any international medal or qualify for Olympics,” a senior coach told ‘The News’ on Tuesday. “Those boys who have been playing in international circuit for the last few years were also not very impressive,” the coach said. A top official of Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) endorsed this view. “Yes, the problem is there. We will have to work hard on the available pool of boxers ahead of the Asian qualifying round for Olympics,” the official said. Another senior coach said the boxers did not have the sting to qualify for Olympics. “The boxers will have to improve their game,” he said. But a former international boxer, who also served as referee/judge during the National Championship last week, thinks differently. “The standard was not that bad. It could be improved if the authorities work hard on the boys. Their basics are good but they need quality training,” he said. He said that a few youngsters like Hasnain and Liaquat were good. The Asian qualifying round is the last chance for the Pakistani boxers to return to the Olympic fold. From the Asian Championship held in Bangkok in August, only one Pakistani boxer, Mehmood-ul-Hasan, made it to the World Championship, but he lost to an American boxer in his first bout in that event held in Doha in October. The World Championship served as qualifiers for the Rio Games. Pakistan last featured in Olympics in 2004 in Athens. No Pakistani boxers qualified for 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Games. And they are on the verge of missing another Olympic flight. During the last few years, Pakistan only rode on the performance of flyweight boxer Mohammad Waseem. After he had won silver in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and bronze in the Asian Games in Incheon last year, it was expected that Waseem would be able to qualify for the Olympics but the 28-year-old Quetta-born boxer turned pro three months back. Besides Asian qualifiers, Pakistan will also field boxers in the South Asian Games to be hosted by India in Guwahati and Shillong from February 6-16. The PBF on Tuesday was busy preparing list of probable boxers for the camp which will be resumed in the next four days. “We are preparing the list,” a PBF official said. It is expected that forty boxers will be called for the camp which will resume here at the PSB Coaching Centre. Initially it had been planned to keep 30 boxers in the camp but now effort is being made to induct ten youngsters in the list as well on the insistence of the coaches supervising the camp. A top PBF official said that senior coach Tariq Siddiqui was also expected to be inducted in the coaching panel, which also includes AIBA three-star coaches Ali Bakhsh and Arshad Hussain. PBF is also expected to acquire a Cuban coach ahead of the qualifiers. “I have been told by a senior official of Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) that the government has approved the summary which had been forwarded to it regarding the appointment of a Cuban coach. He also told me that he would tackle the matter,” a PBF official said. The PBF has recruited Comas of Cuba for one year. Meanwhile, an AIBA one-star coaching course will be held here at the PSB coaching Centre from December 3-9. As many as 25 coaches from across the country will attend the course which will be conducted by AIBA’s instructor Rubasinghe Indrasena of Sri Lanka.
