Rio Olympics world qualifying round
KARACHI: Well aware of the competitive environment in the world qualifying round for Olympics, Pakistan’s boxing coach Arshad Hussain on Saturday exuded confidence, saying, at least three national boxers would be able to earn seats for Rio de Janerio.
“I was not sure initially, but after working hard on the pugilists during the last few days, I am now convinced that we have a few good fighters and two or three of them may deliver a breakthrough,” Arshad told ‘The News’ in an interview from Islamabad where the pugilists are undergoing training.
The world qualifying round will be held in the Azerbaijan’s capital Baku from June 16 to 25. It is the last opportunity for the world’s leading pugilists who aspire to play at the biggest stage in Brazil.
The ten-day event offers 39 Rio tickets. Two boxers in the light flyweight, one each in the heavyweights and five each in the remaining seven weight categories will make cut for Rio Games to be held in August.
It would be a big challenge for Pakistan which last featured in the 2004 Athens Games.
“I am working hard. The boys have achieved 90 per cent fitness and they have also achieved 70 per cent form. We still have a few days at our disposal and I am hopeful the boxers would be in top form before fielding in Baku’s event,” added Arshad, a former Olympian.
“We are training five hours daily. And currently our main focus is on speed and skill,” he said.
“We will also follow the same training schedule in Ramadan but at different times. There will be a light training in the evening and after Isha prayers full training session will be conducted,” the coach said.
Although Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) is yet to announce the final squad but there are a few names including Awais Ali Khan, Syed Mohammad Asif, Ali Ahmed, Niamatullah and Amir Khan who would be automatic choice for the touring party.
Army’s Awais is a fighting player and is a hope in the 81 kilogramme.
The selectors will be facing problem in picking a boy for the 64 kilogramme competition.
“We have three boys in the 64kg and we are working on them. Let’s see how they progress,” Arshad added.
The PBF has not invited any boxer in the light flyweight because of the minor chance in the qualifiers in the same category.
In the heavyweights, Atif Mehmood and Mehmood-ul-Hasan have been kept in the camp but it does not seem that they would be picked for the qualifiers because only the gold medallists in these two weights (91kg, 91kg plus) would qualify for Rio.
There are 15 boys undergoing training in the camp. Five players, who had left the camp a few days ago for featuring in an event in the interior Sindh, will re-join the camp next week.
Arshad wants to proceed to Baku a few days prior to the start of the event.
“We want to move to Baku on June 12 so that the boys could acclimatize with the weather there which would be slightly cold as compared to our hot conditions,” said Arshad, an AIBA three-star coach.
He said that the final squad will be unveiled next month.
Pakistan missed a huge chance for qualifying for Olympics when it withdrew from Asian qualifying round held in the Chinese city of Qiana’n in March-April due to lack of finances. The boys had trained for that event for over one and half year.
However, this time the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) seems to be financially backing the boxers’ tour to Baku.
If no boxer was able to make a cut for Rio then Pakistan’s contingent for Olympics will be comprised of two shooters, two athletes, two swimmers and Japan-based Judoka Shah Hussain who has virtually qualified for Rio. Shah’s ultimate status will be officially known on May 30.