Wrestler Inam wants govt support to keep winning

ByAbdul Mohi Shah

ISLAMABAD: Commonwealth Games gold medallist Mohammad Inam Butt is eyeing international glory in future provided he gets support from the government.

In an interview with ‘The News’, the wrestling ace said he was eager to continue his winning spree in the Asian Games, Olympics qualifiers and even in the 2020 Olympics.“I need high performance coaching and training. I need training and competition of my liking rather than training according to the wishes of those who hardly know how to keep up with the pace internationally,” he said.

Inam was happy with Pakistan Sports Board Director General Aamir Ali Ahmad’s cash incentive initiative, saying what he and his fellow wrestlers needed was best training and international exposure.

“Look, there is no short cut to glory. If the government and our supporters want us to continue winning laurels, they will have to provide us with coaching and competition facilities of the highest level.”

Inam gave the example of Indian wrestlers, saying prior to the Commonwealth Games, they trained in the United States for six months. “Besides Russia and Iran, American wrestlers are considered as physically and technically best in the world. We need continuous training in company of these wrestlers.

“Competing against the best wrestles can improve our standard rather than staying at home and training with locals. “We need to be on our toes throughout the year. A couple of months of training and coaching and then competition with world’s best wrestlers make a competitor ready for big occasions.

“That is what I want for myself and other talented wrestlers. We have enough talent. I can guarantee you that if we are given these facilities we are capable of winning medals even in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.”

Along with other wrestlers, Inam is currently preparing for the Canada Cup to be held in July. “Bilal, Tayyab Raza and Asad Butt all have immense talent. I think Tayyab and Bilal should have won gold medals in Gold Coast. But lack of international exposure came in their way. We can overcome these hurdles if we train with the world’s best wrestlers.”

Inam proposed a couple of months’ training in Russia before the Asian Games to be held in September in Indonesia. “If the government and our well-wishers want us to perform well in the Asian Games, they have to send us to Russia for training after the Canada Cup.”

Inam along with other Commonwealth Games medal winners have been invited to receive their cash awards by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on May 10. “Even before receiving my Rs5 million cash award, I would request the prime minister to help us get continuous high performance coaching, training and participation in top level international events,” he said.