Federation happy with weightlifters’ fitness

KARACHI: Pakistan Weightlifting Federation (PWF) is happy with the way the country’s elite weightlifters have worked at their homes during the coronavirus lockdown which has now almost been lifted.

“I salute my weightlifters and appreciate their efforts. They have worked harder while at their homes and have kept themselves in top shape during the tough time,” PWF Secretary Amjad Amin Butt told ‘The News’ in an interview on Friday.

“Their hard work has paid off as three of our weightlifters out of six claimed gold medals in an international online event recently, featuring some top athletes of the Commonwealth,” Butt said.

“Talha Talib (67kg), Abdul Rehman (89kg) and Nooh Dastgir Butt (109kg) claimed gold. Two got fourth positions and one stood sixth,” Butt said. He said that until October all international events will remain suspended. He added that they are waiting for the international weightlifting governing body (IWF) updates.

“You know our weightlifters will also feature in Olympic qualifiers and once these are rescheduled we will be making arrangements accordingly for fielding at least three weightlifters in them,” Butt said.

The federal government has lifted the restrictions on those games in which SOPs could be followed. Weightlifting is one the safest sports because there is absolutely no contact between the competitors.

Butt said several events are in the pipeline. “Weightlifters are eagerly waiting for the resumption of activities,” he said. “We are planning a national inter-club championship for late September. All modalities will be finalised during a meeting on Monday,” Butt said.

“An inter-department event is also being planned. We also plan to hold the national championship at the end of this year. So a lot of activities are in line. We want our weightlifters to get opportunities when they come out of the lockdown,” Butt added.