Foreign training for karatekas sought ahead of Asian Games

LAHORE: Pakistan Karate Federation’s (PKF) chairman Mohammad Jehangir on Saturday said that the country’s top karatekas need a foreign training tour ahead of the 19th Asian Games slated to be held in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 8.

“Yes, our squad direly needs a foreign training tour which will help improve the skill level of the fighters ahead of the Asian Games,” Jehangir told ‘The News’ in an interview here.

“And it would be a great help if Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) backed our four boys and three girls for the purpose as it would also boost our medals chances in the Asian Games,” he said.

“Iran and Turkey will be the best training destinations as both nations have already offered us to send our fighters for training. I had a talk with Iran and Turkey and they both are ready to host us,” he said.

“If a training tour is managed then we will prefer to send our fighters for training close to the Asian Games and it will be much better if our fighters move from Iran or Turkey to China for the Asian Games,” Jehangir said.

He was confident that Pakistan can win two medals in the Asian Games. “Yes, we have chance of a couple of medals. Mohammad Awais, who has to his credit bronze in the Asian Championship, can get a medal in the -84kg. And we have seasoned Saadi Abbas who is in great form, having won gold recently in the Montreal Open,” Jehangir said.

In the last Asian Games in Indonesia in 2018, Nargis created history as she became the first woman of Pakistan to snare a medal in the Asian Games. She claimed bronze in the +58kg.

Pakistan’s karate camp is in progress here at the PSB Coaching Centre. The camp carries ten male and ten female fighters. Coaches Mohammad Kashif and Shah Faisal are conducting the camp.

Jehangir said that it is not yet decided how many fighters will be fielded in the Asian Games.

“Initially Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) gave us a quota of five persons. However, we told the Board that in karate we have won medal in the last Asian Games and karate was the top achiever in the 2019 Nepal South Asian Games with six gold, eight silver and seven bronze medals. The Board then told us that they would reconsider the strength,” Jehangir said.

He added that PKF also plans to field its fighters in the next month’s Asian Karate Championship which will be held in Malaysia.

“Yes definitely we will send our squad of around five fighters to the Asian Championship next month. We also hope that PSB will back us in the process,” Jehangir said.