Pak handball team’s training camp moved to Lahore

KARACHI: The training camp of Pakistan handball team in connection with the Asian Games has been shifted from Islamabad to Lahore due to lack of a proper hall at the federal capital’s Pakistan Sports Complex whose Liaquat Gymnasium is not ready for training.

“Our camp has been shifted to Lahore where Sports Board Punjab has given us the hall and the players have been boarded at the PSB Coaching Centre,” a senior official of the Pakistan Handball Federation (PHF) told ‘The News’ on Monday.

The official said that 24 players and three officials were in the camp, adding, the final squad will be announced after a few days of training.Pakistan have been placed in a tough Group B with the 2014 Incheon Asian Games runners-up South Korea and Japan.

“It’s a very tough group,” the official said.However, he was quick to add that Pakistan has not been a strong side in handball.“Our position in indoor handball is not strong but we are sending the side in order to prepare for the South Asian Games,” the official said.

“Our strength is beach handball in which we have a strong standing in Asia,” the official added.Defending champions Qatar have been clubbed in Group A with Iran and Malaysia, Group C carries hosts Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong while Group D contains Bahrain, Chinese Taipei, India and Iraq.

The two leading sides from each group will advance to the quarter-finals. The remaining teams will play classification matches. The event will begin from August 13.Pakistan team will leave for Indonesia on August 11.