Shah’s Japanese coach to enter Olympic Village today

KARACHI: The Japanse coach of Olympian judoka Shah Hussain will enter the Olympic Village on Monday (today), Pakistan’s contingent secretary and Admin Officer Col Nasir Tung told ‘The News’ from Tokyo on Sunday.

“Yes, we have managed accreditation for his coach and he will come tomorrow to join Shah Hussain,” Nasir said.

Initially it seemed that the coach would not be able to accompany Shah during the Olympics but the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) made a fine effort to ensure his accreditation.

“Shah is spirited and training hard. We hope he also fights for a medal,” Nasir said.

Shah will compete in the -100kg on July 29.

This is the second time that he has featured in the Olympics. He made his Olympics debut in 2016 in the Rio Games.

Nasir said every player was working hard. “They are fit and there is no issue with anyone. It’s a fine place and everyone is focussed on their job,” Nasir said.

“We were expecting a medal from weightlifter Talha Talib today and he did a fantastic job and missed the medal by a whisker. But he is definitely a fine prospect for Pakistan as he has improved his personal best in both snatch and clean and jerk in such a pressure situation,” he added.