Shah to compete in Judo Grand Prix in South Korea

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Olympic hope Shah Hussain on Tuesday left Tokyo for South Korea to participate in Judo Grand Prix 2015 to be held in Jeju from November 26 to 28.
“Yes, he left for Korea today,” Shah’s father Hussain Shah told ‘The News’ from Tokyo on Tuesday.
He said his son had prepared well for the assignment. “He is ready and I hope he will deliver his best,” the former Pakistani boxer said.
Pakistan Judo Federation’s (PJF) secretary Masood Ahmed told this correspondent that the draws would be held on Wednesday (today). “It is very important for Shah to click. He has the guts and I hope he will live up to the expectations,” the PJF official said.
The 22-year-old Commonwealth Games silver medallist will showcase his talent in the -100 kilogramme weight category.
If he performs well, his world ranking will go up which is indispensable for securing a place in the Rio Olympics.
According to the world rankings released by the International Judo Federation (PJF) the other day, Shah stands at the 43rd place which shows that he is slowly advancing towards his goal.
Shah must compete in quite a few international events by May 29, 2016, the cut-off date to qualify for the Olympics.
On June 10, IJF will unveil final world rankings which will decide who will play in the Olympics.
The top 22 judokas of the world will get automatic entry into the Olympics. The rest will have to compete for the continental quotas.
“He is progressing well,” Masood said. “I have briefed the officials of Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) about Shah’s chances and informed them about the plan we have made for him,” he said.
Shah this month missed the Oceania Open when he failed to get Australian visa.
“It was a real setback. We tried a lot for visa but could not get that,” he said.
After Pakistan hockey team failed to qualify for the Olympics, boxing and judo are the only disciplines where there is some hope for the country.
If the country also fails to make it to Olympics in these disciplines, it will be the first time in history that Pakistan’s Olympic contingent will have only wild card entrants.
Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) in a pre-Olympic seminar in Rio a couple of months back requested the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to grant wild card entries to Pakistan in a few disciplines.