KARACHI: Pakistan's taekwondo team on Tuesday left for Nepal to take part in the 3rd Mount Everest International Open Taekwondo Championship (G-2) scheduled from September 21 to October 2 in Pokhara.
Pakistan would participate in different categories of kyorugi and poomsae events of the championship. Team members for the kyorugi event are Abu Bakar Siddique, Muhammad Arbaz Khan, Mazhar Abbas, Hamza Omar Saeed, Haroon Khan, Shahzaib Khan, Fatimatuz Zahara Khawar, Naqsh Hamdani and Noor Rehman while poomsae squad consists of Shahbaz Ahmed, Muhammad Waseem Javed, Wajeeh Ul Hassan, Naila, Mehrunnisa and Flower Zaheer. Korean Kukkiwon coach Master Seongoh Choi of Korea is the head coach of the poomsae squad while former Iranian champion Yousef Karami is the chief coach of the kyorugi squad. Hawas Khan is accompanying the squad as team manager while Faisal Nadeem Butt is the trainer.
Earlier, members of the Pakistan squad held meeting with the Director General of Pakistan Sports Board Col (retd) Asif Zaman. Asif expressed the hope that the team will do extremely well in Nepal and return home triumphantly.
He said that any good news from the sports ground about Pakistan's performance helps boost the confidence of the entire sports fraternity and helps promote sports at every level in the country. Pakistan Taekwondo Federation's (PTF) President Lt Col (retd) Waseem Janjua said that a 15-day training camp was organized with the collaboration of the PSB to hone skills of the participants and it will continue till the Combaxx Asian Open Championship to be held in Islamabad in November to hone their skills and improve their techniques.
"The players' participation in the 15-day training and coaching camp would be instrumental in the team's good performance", Wasim said.
He said that now the main national players are off to Nepal, other players and juniors have ample time to take benefit of the absence of main players and hone their skills through the camp.
He said that the world's best athletes are taking part in the Nepal Open but their athletes are also well-prepared for this mega event. Master Seongoh Choi of Korea and Iranian coach Yousef Karami said that players have worked hard and attained strenuous training ahead of this event and are hundred percent fit both mentally and physically due to which they will be able to make it to the victory podium.