Pakistan handball team may tour Iran

KARACHI: Pakistan Handball Federation (PHF) plans to send its men team to Iran and invite Iran’s women team in December in order to prepare for the 12th South Asian Games which are expected to be held in India from January 10-20.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is yet to give its final nod about the Games, but PHF president Mohammad Shafiq said if the spectacle was held as per plan in January then in December he would send his men’s side to Iran for training.
“If the event is held in January as has been decided in the South Asian Olympic Council (SAOC) meeting early this month in New Delhi then we will send our men’s team to Iran in the first week of December. Iran’s women team will be invited in December to play with our side,” Shafiq said.
“Iran’s women are improving as they beat strong India a couple of months ago in the Asian Championship in Indonesia. Playing with them will give a lot of boost to our team’s preparation,” said Shafiq, also the secretary of Asian Handball Federation (AHF).
Pakistan won gold in the 2010 Dhaka South Asian Games in men’s handball.
Pakistan’s women will make their debut in the South Asian Games in India.
The games will be held in Guwahati and Shillong.
Shafiq said the camps for the event would start in Islamabad as per instructions of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) which has not yet made a final decision.
Shafiq said after the SAG, PHF would start preparing the side for the Asian Beach Games to be held in Vietnam in September 2016.
Pakistan have never returned empty-handed from any of the four Asian Beach Games held so far. After winning gold in the first edition, Pakistan claimed silver in the second and bronze in the subsequent editions.
A source told this correspondent on Wednesday that the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) held its executive committee meeting the other day in Delhi in which the decisions made by the SAOC on July 8 came under discussion.
However, the source, while quoting a sports official from India, said that the IOA had not made any alteration in the decisions taken by the SAOC.
The source said that the IOA had forwarded the report to India’s sports ministry for final consent.
Shafiq said the PHF would hold a refresher course for coaches and referees at Bara Gali, Nathiagali, from August 15-19.
He said the qualified coaches from all the affiliated units would be invited for the course. Shafiq will be the main speaker.