National Athletics Championship rolls into action today

KARACHI: The 48th National Athletics Championship, carrying around 600 athletes, will explode into action here at the PSB Coaching Centre’s outdated tartan track on Friday (today).

As many as 15 affiliated units of the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) will feature in the three-day event which will provide an opportunity to the top seeds of the country to press for places in the national squad for international assignments especially the Asian Championships and the World Championships to be held this summer in Ranchi, India, and London respectively.

Pakistan intends to field a solid squad in the continental event in India in July while in the World Championships only one athlete would be fielded.

Pakistan’s squad for the Islamic Games has already been finalised.

The national affair, on the 20-year-old tartan track, is being held in the port city after a lapse of 12 years.

The teams which are set to feature in the event include Army, WAPDA, Railways, Higher Education Commission (HEC), Police, Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Navy, four provinces, Gilgit Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Islamabad.

All the units have voting rights, the AFP chief Major Gen (retd) Mohammad Akram Sahi told ‘The News’ on Thursday.

Sahi also informed media about the event at a press conference. Also present was the AFP secretary Mohammad Zafar.

In the competitions, men will compete in 23 while women will show their mettle in 21 events.

The championship will begin early in the morning on Friday with the 42.195km marathon. The formal opening ceremony will be held after Jumma prayers.

Sindh Sports Minister Mohammad Bux Khan Mahar will be the chief guest. Karachi Corps Commander is expected to grace the closing ceremony on April 9. Tight security arrangements have been made for the event.

Army, who are invincible in the men’s section of the competition, will defend their men’s title while WAPDA will defend their women’s crown.

Army’s coach Major Shabbir told ‘The News’ that they were confident of a fine show in the competitions.

“I hope we lift more medals this time in the men’s events,” Shabbir said.

In the last affair in Quetta last year, Army bagged 14 gold medals in the men’s section.

“In the women’s section, we are fielding a new young squad and hopefully the results will be encouraging. But WAPDA are the favourites to defend their title in this section,” he added.

Shabbir said that the track was not that good. “Let’s see how the track responds. It is an old track. Karachi is a major city and there is a need for several tracks here,” the official added.

The country’s leading javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem, Okara-born 19-year-old sprinter Mohammad Shehbaz and rookie triple jumper Mohammad Afzal will be the centre of attraction in the competitions.

Arshad, a former World No. 3 in the IAAF Under-20 World Rankings, had recently been sent to Mauritius for training but he came back after having failed to adjust in the local conditions.

Afzal had claimed gold in the Asian Youth Championship in Qatar a couple of years ago.

Shehbaz will play his first national senior event from Army. He is expected to give tough time to 100m title holder Gohar of WAPDA.

“I am the junior champion and my personal best timing is 10.59,” Shehbaz told this correspondent.

Meanwhile a course for technical officials was also completed on Thursday and the participants were given certificates.

A disciplinary committee under the AFP secretary Mohammad Zafar has also been formed. The AFP may also opt for dope tests of some of the athletes in the competitions.