Nouman Zaka included in squad for Asian Wrestling

KARACHI: Pakistan Wrestling Federation (PWF) has added two-time national champion Nouman Zaka to national wrestling squad which will feature in the Asian Wrestling Championships pencilled in for April 9-14 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

“Yes, we have added Nouman (86 kg) to the squad which also includes Inayatullah and Mohammad Bilal,” a senior official of the PWF told ‘The News’on Wednesday. Initially, the country's premier wrestler Mohammad Inam was expected to flex his muscles in the 86 kg in the Asian Championships but he skipped this event because he is set to attend an Olympic Solidarity coaching course in Budapest, Hungary. Inam told 'The News' on Wednesday that he will leave for Hungary on April 2 and will return on June 2 after attending the two-month course. He also thanked Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) for managing for him the opportunity.

Inam said that he would also keep training during the course, saying he would feature in the World Beach Wrestling Series in Singapore in June and then in the World Beach Games to be hosted by Indonesia in Bali in August.

Inam, however, said that he would feature in the World Championships in September in Serbia. Nouman, who belongs to Gujranwala and plays in Inam’s club, was part of Pakistan’s squad in the Islamic Games held in Turkey last year.

Inayat, also the Youth Olympics bronze medallist, will compete in the 74 kg while Bilal, who is the cousin of Inam, will flex his muscles in the 57 kg in the continental event.

The Astana event is very important for Pakistani wrestlers as the country will only be able to feature in those weight categories in the World Championships in which it will participate in the Asian Championships.