We will send our boys to Tokyo qualifiers: PWF

KARACHI: Pakistan Wrestling Federation (PWF) remains determined to field its leading players in the Olympics despite all odds.

“Irrespective of the looming financial issues, we are determined to do something good for our wrestlers,” PWF secretary Arshad Sattar told ‘The News’ in an interview on Friday. “We will give the nation good news as I hope some of our wrestlers will make it to the 2020 Olympics. We want to field four or five leading wrestlers in the Olympic qualifiers.

“Mohammad Inam, Inayatullah and Japan-based Haroon Abid, nephew of Jhara Pahlawan, will certainly be tested,” Arshad said. “The Olympic journey will begin next year with the World Championships. It will be followed by continental championships and then there will be three qualifying rounds,” Arshad added.

He said Pakistan had a good chance this time. “Russia, the United States, Georgia, Cuba and Azerbaijan are considered mighty wrestling nations. Then comes Asia where besides Japan and Iran we can compete with every wrestling nation,” the official claimed.

When asked what the federation would do if the government did not back the PWF, Arshad said: “We will do it ourselves. We plan to hold Rustam-e-Pakistan Dangal in December in various cities of Punjab. For that we are in talks with a company and are hopeful that it will respond positively. We have signed a deal with Strawberry Sports Management for a professional league which is expected to be held in March. If these things happen we will not need government assistance to field our top players in the qualifiers,” Arshad said.

About Inayat’s bronze-medal feat in the Youth Olympics and his Olympic chances, Arshad said that the boy was a rare talent. “He is naturally gifted. Everybody in Argentina during Youth Olympics used to tell me that he is not a Pakistani. If we worked with him according to modern athletes development pattern, I assure you he will win a medal in the 2024 Olympics,” Arshad said.

He was quick to add that Inayat was only 17 years old. “But still he could qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Games, if properly trained,” he said. Inayat is the son of former wrestler Zahid Khan, who remained national champion for more than a decade. Inayat’s elder brother Niamatullah is also a wrestler.

Pakistan’s only wrestling Olympic medal came in 1960 when Mohammad Bashir won bronze in Rome. But over the last few years Pakistan has been producing good results in wrestling in international circuit, both at senior and age-group competitions.