KARACHI: The think tanks of Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) will put their heads together on Wednesday (today) at Lahore to discuss various important matters relating to national camp for future international events, especially the Olympic qualifiers.
“Yes, after the national event in Quetta which concluded on Monday night, our actual job begins. Tomorrow we will sit together along with national coach to discuss when and where we will hold the camp for vital international assignments in future which also include the Olympic qualifiers,” PBF secretary Col (retd) Nasir Tung told ‘The News’ on Tuesday.
“Besides the 2024 Paris Olympics qualifiers we also have to compete in the Asian Under-22 Championship in Thailand in January,” Nasir was quick to add. Asked when the camp was expected to begin, Nasir said that although it will not be held immediately they will have to plan for that as many arrangements are to be made for it.
“The first thing is to decide in principle when and where we will hold the camp and then in the next step we will make arrangements for that. Navy is interested to host the camp and we will look at that option,” Nasir added.
He said that limited strength will be focused on. “You know we cannot hold any big camp as the state is not helping us. We plan to work with six or eight top quality boxers. We will plan how to groom them and how to train them on foreign soil which is very important,” Nasir said.
He was happy that at least the boxers are being kept in proper shape. “The boxers are getting events and it’s a good thing I think. The national event concluded in Quetta on Monday and there will be an inter-departmental event at the end of January in Karachi. It’s good that the boys will be busy,” the official said.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Olympics boxing qualifying pathway has been changed for Paris Games. The next year’s Asian Games which will be held in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 8, will also serve as qualifying round.
In 2024, there will be two world qualification tournaments which means national pugilists will have three chances to press for the Olympic seats. The 2004 Athens Games were the last one in which national fighters flexed their muscles. Since then they have been unable to make a cut for the world’s most prestigious extravaganza.
Nasir said that in the Asian Games Pakistan will field in seven weights. “We will also discuss in which weights we are to focus keeping in view the major events,” the official said. He said that in the meeting on Wednesday the recently held National Championship will be discussed and boxers performances in it will be weighed before taking the final decisions.
Nasir said that in the national event in Quetta some gutsy boys from Police and Higher Education Commission (HEC) were scouted and they will be called for the camp in order to polish them. “These were not extraordinary boys but were good enough to work on them and they can be transformed into solid boxers,” Nasir said.