PJF seeks IJF help to hire foreign coach

KARACHI: Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) has sought the help of International Judo Federation (IJF) for hiring the services of a foreign coach, keeping in view the preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and other international events.

A senior official of the PJF told ‘The News’ on Tuesday that in December last year a delegation of the PJF had a meeting with the IJF president in Japan during the Grand Slam and discussed with him the issue of the coach.

The PJF told the IJF chief that Pakistan’s government would pay up to 2500 US dollars for the foreign coach.

The IJF president told the PJF that it would not be possible to get the services of a foreign coach with that much money, but he promised that the IJF would financially assist the PJF.

The official said that the PJF sent a contract to the IJF one month ago which had all the details regarding the pay-limit of the PSB for a foreign coach, the name of the city where the coach would stay, the security the coach would be provided and the travelling expenses which the PJF would meet during his tenure as Pakistan coach.

The coach, if hired, would be on probation for six months. If he satisfied the PJF with his performance his services might be hired until the 2020 Olympics.

Iranian coach Sajjad Kazemi served Pakistan for two years until June last year. It was his second stint and he impressed the PJF with his work.

But now the PJF wants the IJF to give it a coach.

Pakistan has talent in judo as there are players who can qualify for the 2020 Olympics.

Japan-based Shah Hussain played in Rio Olympics last year in Brazil. He had qualified for the Olympics on the basis of continental quota.

The two-time Asian Championship bronze medallist and silver medallist of the 2014 Galsgow Commonwealth Games is expected to make a cut directly to the Olympics this time as he has come of age and can bear pressure.

The PJF has high hopes also about young Qaiser Khan Afridi and Amina Toyoda of Japan, a 17-year-old girl who became the first Pakistani to qualify for the semi-finals in the 57 kg weight category of the Asian Junior Judo Championship held in India last June.

The PJF intends to send Amina to the Asian Senior Championship which is to be held in Hong Kong this May.

However, Amina’s participation in the continental event is subject to her fitness test. “If she is fit she may be considered for the Hong Kong event,” the official said.

Meanwhile, it is yet to be decided whether Pakistani judokas will appear in the Islamic Games. It is confirmed that the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) will not send the entries of judokas for Islamic Games from the platform of the PJF because of its differences with the federation on legal issues.

The POA says that the PJF has not withdrawn its cases against it which it has filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) although it was a part of the Lausanne Agreement. The PJF says that it has withdrawn all the cases and that it has no intention to file any case against the national Olympic committee in future.

The POA chief Lt Gen (retd) Arif Hasan said at a press briefing here recently that if any judoka approached NOC for sending his or her entry for the Islamic Games, the POA would do that.

This correspondent learnt that a senior official of the POA had already talked to Shah Hussain’s mother besides writing a letter to FATA Olympic Association about the status of Qaiser Khan Afridi. Sources said that the POA had been told that these players belonged to Army, so their cases would be decided by Army.

The Islamic Games are to be held in Azerbaijan capital Baku from May 12-22.

Because of the differences between the POA and the PJF, the former sent Shah’s entry for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games where he captured a medal.