Wrestlers Inam, Bilal to feature in Canada Cup

Alam Zeb Safi

KARACHI: The country’s leading grappler Mohamamd Inam is expected to stay in Canada for some days to undergo preparation for the Asian Games after featuring in the Canada Cup slated to be held at Guelph, Ontario, from July 7-10.

“Inam and his younger brother Mohammad Bilal are being sent to Canada for the Canada Cup. We have applied for their visas which I am hundred percent sure the wrestlers will get them,” a Pakistan Wrestling Federation’s (PWF) official told ‘The News’ on Saturday. “I have told Inam that it would be better if he stays for a few days after the event as Canada has some solid wrestlers in some weights and he can get some good practice for the Asian Games by playing with them,” the official said. He was quick to add if it was managed then PWF would meet the expenses. “Inam says that he has not been given any foreign trip for training. So I feel it would be good if he stays in Canada for few days after the event,” he said. Inam, who plays in 86 kilogramme, is Pakistan’s medal hope in the Asian Games slated to be held in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang from August 18 to September 2. Inam is a two-time gold medallist of the Commonwealth Games and is also a reigning world champion in beach wrestling.

His brother Mohammad Bilal, who plays in 57 kg, has also won bronze in the Commonwealth Games in Australia in April this year. Meanwhile the PWF has also selected five probables during trials in Lahore on Friday for the Asian Games. Besides Inam and Bilal, Mudassir Hussain (65kg), Abdul Rehman (74kg) and Tayyab Raza (105kg) are among the probables. Tayyab was also the bronze medallist of the Australia Commonwealth Games. The PWF has got a quota of five wrestlers but the official of the federation said that the final lot would be decided after checking fitness and form of the wrestlers. “We intend to send three wrestlers to Indonesia and if we found that four could be sent then we would do that,” the official said. However he was quick to add that Inam and Bilal would surely go to Indonesia for the Asian Games. The camp has been resumed at Lahore on June 20. It had been stopped on May 15 due to funding issue. The PWF has also filed a request with the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) regarding sending a few wrestlers to Ukraine for training for the Asian Games.