Boxers training to begin from tomorrow

World qualifiers in Baku

KARACHI: Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) is going to start on Sunday (tomorrow) a training camp for the world qualifying round to be held in the Azerbaijan capital Baku in early June.

Pakistan missed the Asian qualifying round for Rio Olympics due to financial problems.

“Yes, we have decided to initiate training from May 1 at the Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad,” PBF secretary Iqbal Hussain told ‘The News’ on Friday.

He made it clear that the PBF had restored its working relations with the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) by implementing the national sports policy.

“We have submitted the amended copy of the PBF constitution to the Board,” the official said.

“The Board wanted us to start the camp later next month but we requested that we have to train the boxers more and the Board agreed,” Iqbal said.

He said the Board had already approved 28 members, 25 boxers and three coaches, for the camp. Former international Ali Bakhsh, Arshad Hussain and Tariq Gujar will train the pugilists for the vital assignment to be staged from June 7-19.

Iqbal said they would try to send boxers in those weight categories in which there is a higher chance.

“In light flyweight only the finalists will cruise through to the Olympics. Similarly, in the heavyweight and the super heavyweight only the gold medallists will qualify. So we will try to send boxers in the other seven weight categories,” the official said.

Barring these three weights, five boxers in every weight category will advance to the Rio Games to be held in August.

Iqbal made it clear that there was no time to send boxers abroad for training. “We are short of time and you know sending players abroad needs some time in documentation. We don’t have any such plan and will only train at home,” Iqbal said.

Pakistan was unfortunate not to send its national pugilists for the Asian qualifying round held in the Chinese city of Qiana’n in March and April due to financial problems.

The PSB did not provide funds to the PBF because the latter had not implemented the national sports policy by then. Realising the importance of good relations with the PSB the PBF held an emergency executive committee meeting late last month and decided that it could not afford hostile relations with the Board and so the constitution was amended.

Iqbal said that everything had been completed for hiring a Cuban coach. “Cuba de Sports wants us to send them clearance from the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Whenever approval for hiring a foreign coach is given the NOC is given through the consensus of both interior and foreign ministries,” Iqbal added.

Pakistani boxers last featured in Olympics in 2004 in Athens. So far not a single Pakistani athlete has qualified for Rio Games.