9 out of 10 Tokyo-bound athletes not training at bio-secure bubble

KARACHI: Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) have created a bio-secure bubble at the Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad but so far out of the ten Olympic-bound athletes, only a single athlete is undergoing training in that zone.

And he is swimming 100 metre freestyle specialist Syed Haseeb Tariq.

As swimmers, a badminton player and shooters will fly out of Islamabad for Tokyo on July 16 these athletes should have moved to the federal capital well ahead of their departure keeping in view covid fears.

It has been learnt that Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) has already advised officials of different athletes to move to Islamabad but they have not shown any willingness and have told the NOC that they are happy undergoing training in their own respective zones.

As per rules the athletes and officials will undertake Covid tests for seven days successively ahead of their departure for Tokyo. And late movement to Islamabad may create health issues regarding covid.

Knowing this point well, a senior official of the POA told ‘The News’ that they were going to hold a meeting with the chef de mission on Saturday (tomorrow) to discuss this matter.

“We are going to hold a meeting with the CDM on July 10 and will discuss this matter in detail,” the POA secretary Khalid Mehmood told ‘The News’.

“We have advised various officials of different players to move to Islamabad but they are happy undergoing training in their respective zones and what we can do,” Khalid said.

Shooting team is undergoing training in Jhelum. It has been learnt that there is no facility for shooting training in Islamabad and so they have preferred to train in Jhelum.

Athlete Arshad is training in Lahore, weightlifter Talha Talib is in Gujranwala, shuttler Mahoor Shahzad is in Karachi and swimmer Bisma Khan is in Lahore.

Khalid said that all arrangements for conducting covid tests of the athletes and officials have been made. Khalid said that two flag-bearers (one male and one female) will be announced for the opening ceremony and two flag-bearers (one male and one female) will be announced for the closing ceremony of the Olympics.

Olympic Games will begin on July 23 in which ten Pakistani athletes and 12 officials will feature.