Lack of financial support: PWF to field only Inam in Asian Wrestling Championships

KARACHI: Pakistan Wrestling Federation (PWF) has decided to field only premier wrestler Mohammad Inam in the Asian Wrestling Championships which will be held in Xian, China, from April 23-28 due to financial issues.

"We don't have money and the government is not supporting us so we have decided to field only Inam in the Asian Championships," PWF secretary Arshad Sattar told 'The News' on Sunday from Lahore.

"If we don't field a wrestler in the Asian Championships, we will not be able to feature in the World Championships which is also a qualifying round for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics," the official pointed out.

"If we are even able to field only Inam in the continental event, then we will have the right to send wrestlers to the World Championships," Arshad said.

The World Championships will be held later this year in Astana, Kazakhstan, from September 14-22. Arshad said that whenever they asked the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) for any financial help, the Board said that the government did not want to fund the federations.

For the last several months, not a single penny has been given to the federations by the PSB which is the most powerful sports governing body. The Board has been working without a full-time Director General for last one year. Arshad seemed disappointed over the prevailing sports situation in Pakistan.

"Sports is dying here," Arshad said. "Would you believe that we have two such superb wrestlers in the shape of Inam and Inayatullah who could do anything. Had they been living in any developed country they would have been Olympic medallists," Arshad said.

"But the situation here is very bad. It is a cricket-mad country and other sports federations find it very hard to get sponsorship," Arshad said. "In the current scenario, we are trying to focus on Inam as he is the sort of player who is mature enough and is capable to pull off big results even at the grand stage," he said.

Inam was also seen both happy and sad when a Pride of Performance award was conferred on him on Saturday at Lahore during a special function on Pakistan Day at the Governor House. "Although I am happy that the Pride of Performance award was conferred on me. But when I go to any competition, telling people that I got an award won't be enough, only quality training and top preparation will count there," Inam had told 'The News' on Saturday.

After attending an international athlete forum in Switzerland in the third week of April, Inam will return and then fly out of Lahore for China to take part in the Asian Championships.

When asked why Pakistan could not organise the Asian Championships since it last hosted it in Islamabad in 1988, Arshad said that it was not difficult for the federation to get such an event but it will need a huge budget and he thought no one would cooperate.

"We can get Asian Championships but you know it will need budget and I don't think any one will support us," Arshad said. Pakistan has so far hosted two Asian Championships. It was held for the first time in Lahore in 1981 and then in 1988 in Islamabad. Pakistan have won one gold, eight silver and nine bronze in the Asian Championships history.