Saadi forced to change plans after Rabat event postponement

KARACHI: Following the postponement of the Karate-1 Premier League Rabat due to Covid issues, Pakistan’s premier karateka Saadi Abbas, eying an Olympic seat, has made changes to his preparatory plan for Olympics qualifying rounds.

He now wants to undergo a 15-day training with some tough sparring partners either in Egypt or Iran before the Karate-1 Premier League which is scheduled to be held in Lisbon, Portugal, from April 30 to May 2.

The Portugal event has got the status of Olympic qualifying round after Rabat Premier League was postponed to October 29, 2021, which means it has lost its Olympic qualifying status.

Rabat event was slated to be held from April 9-11.

“Yes I have made some changes in my plans after Rabat event was postponed. Now I want to go to either Egypt or Iran for a 15-day training,” Saadi told 'The News' from Dubai on Sunday.

“The amount of money which I was going to spend on Rabat event will now be spent on my training abroad which will help me a lot in my preparations as it will help me regain my confidence,” Saadi said.

“And after the training I could go to Portugal and then to France for World Qualifying round,” Saadi said.

However he said that it would be great if the government hired a Turkish coach for him for five months.

“I need a Turkish coach for five months. For five months means he should accompany me on the 15-day training abroad so that he could identify my mistakes and work on them before we leave for Portugal,” Saadi said.

“And in Portugal’s event he will observe my performance and upon return we will work on weak points and then I am confident I will be 200 percent ready for the world qualifying round in Paris,” Saadi said.

“It means from my training abroad the Turkish coach will need to accompany me in Tokyo Olympics also. So a five-month contract will be needed,” said Saadi, also a former Asian champion.

Saadi has been repeatedly stressing the need for a Turkish coach for him during his Olympic mission but the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) remains unmoved.

Saadi said that he was almost ready for the postponed Rabat event. “I was almost ready for the Rabat event. I had featured in a domestic level event. I also had planned to come to Pakistan to feature in a national event and from there to go to Morocco. I was almost ready for playing a major event but unfortunately now the things changed and I had to change my plans,” Saadi said.

Occupying 24th spot in Tokyo Olympics rankings Saadi’s main mission is to claim a medal in the world qualifying round slated to be held in Paris from June 11-13.

There are 24 Olympics places up for grabs which means that the top three in each weight will make it to the Tokyo Olympics.

Having made huge upsets during his illustrious career, Saadi has the capability to produce his best on a given day and make it to the Olympics.

If he is unable to make it to Olympics through qualifying rounds then he will fight for the IOC Tripartite Commission places. Saadi has been featuring in Olympics qualifiers mainly because of the IOC scholarship. He is not getting any state help or corporate sector patronage during his Olympic journey.

Saadi had also planned to feature in a national event in Lahore in April but that is also not possible as Punjab government has imposed restrictions on sporting activities again due to a fresh wave of Covid-19.

Saadi has been undergoing training in Dubai alongside the UAE national team.

The World Karate Federation the other day announced that the 2021 Karate 1-Premier League Rabat has been postponed due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Since the Karate 1-Premier League Rabat moves now to October, the 2021 Karate 1-Premier League Lisbon will replace the tournament in Rabat as the Olympic qualifying event.