PSB considering early camps for potential medal winners

KARACHI: Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) is considering holding camps of all those athletes a bit early who have the chance to win medals in the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.

A senior official of the PSB told ‘The News’ that although infrastructure is being prepared and renovated, the Board would try to support the camps of those athletes in various sports disciplines who have medal prospects in the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.

The official said that there was no restriction on camps. Federations can hold camps in their respective zones and the Board will back them, he added.

The Commonwealth Games are slated to be held in Birmingham from July 28 to August 8. China will hold the Asian Games in September.

The official said that the Board plans to hold centralised camps for these twin assignments by March next year.

Pakistan has the capability to win medals in the Commonwealth Games in athletics, wrestling and weightlifting. In hockey, too, Pakistan can win a medal as the team had displayed spirited game in the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games under the Dutch coach Roelant Oltmans.

The PSB official said that the Board wants Karachi to host sailing event during the 14th South Asian Games which Pakistan is supposed to host in early 2023.

It was learnt that DG PSB Col (retd) Asif Zaman on Wednesday inspected various venues in Punjab which will host the South Asian Games.

This will be the third time that Pakistan will host the biennial regional spectacle. The country hosted the games in 1989 and 2004 in Islamabad.

It was also learnt that the Board will prioritise a few disciplines which will be fully backed by the central government with the assistance of the provincial governments and corporate sector.