Number of Pak Olympic shooters to reach 16 with this edition

KARACHI: The qualification of Pakistan’s three shooters to the Tokyo Olympics has increased the number of participation by the country’s shooters to 16 in the Olympic Games from 1952 to 2020.

In the current Olympics, Pakistan’s Khalil Akhtar, Ghulam Mustafa Bashir, and Gulfam Joseph will take part in pistol events.

As many as 356 athletes representing 100 countries from five continents are to take part in the shooting competitions at the Tokyo Olympics.

Prior to the Tokyo Olympics, Pakistan’s 13 shooters, including one woman, had participated in the Olympic Games.

Khurrum Inam has been the only shooter to participate in three editions of the Olympics — 2000, 2004, and 2012.

In 1952, Azam Jan (rifle) participated in the Olympics event and Saifi Chohdri (rifle) and Zafar Ahmed (pistol, rifle) represented the country in the 1956 edition.

Both of them managed to participate in the 1960 edition of Olympics as well along with M Iqbal (pistol) and Aziz Wain (rifle).

In the 1964 Olympics, Aziz Ahmed (rifle), Mohi-ud-din Khawaja (shotgun), Abdur Rashid (pistol), and Ahmad Salam (pistol) represented Pakistan.

Siddique Umar (rifle) got entry into the 2008 edition of the Games and Ghulam Mustafa Bashir (pistol) and Minhal Sohail (rifle) represented the country in the 2016 edition.