Trials for Commonwealth: Wrestling Championship tomorrow

KARACHI: In a bid to pick wrestlers for the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship, Pakistan Wrestling Federation (PWF) plans to hold trials at the Punjab College on Sunday (tomorrow).

“Yes, we have planned trials on October 24 at Lahore,” PWF vice-president Arshad Sattar told ‘The News’ on Friday.

“The weigh-in will be held at 8am and the competitions will be conducted at 10:30am,” Arshad said.

“We have instructed all our ten affiliated units to send two wrestlers each in each weight category after conducting their own trials. The last date for entry by name for the Commonwealth Championship is November 2 and that is why we are going to hold the trials,” the official said.

“A five-member selection committee, comprising me, the PWF secretary and coaches from Army, WAPDA and Railways, will conduct the trials,” Arshad said.

The Commonwealth Championship is slated to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from December 3-5.

The PWF also plans to announce a national championship in due course. “On Monday we are also going to announce National Championship which we want to hold in Lahore from November 26-28,” Arshad said.

He said the selected wrestlers during trials would go to their respective units and undergo training there for the National Championship which would help them prepare for the Commonwealth Championship.

“After the national event, we will send the selected crop to South Africa after a few days training in the Punjab capital,” the official said.

“The Commonwealth Championship is very important for us as we can win medals here. We want to send ten wrestlers to South Africa. We will also find who we should send for the Commonwealth Games which are to be held in Birmingham from July 28 to August 8,” he said.

“We also expect Asian Championship in April. We want to prepare the lot well for the Commonwealth Games where we can this time earn at least three gold medals. We are seeking assistance from various cordons and hopefully will be able to prepare a solid lot for the Commonwealth Games,” Arshad said.

He expects solid support from the government. “As our events are very important, I hope the government will back us,” he said.

A few days ago Arshad had told this correspondent that the PWF was planning to send top wrestlers to Kazakhstan for a couple of months training ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

It is pertinent to mention here that the premier wrestler and two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Mohammad Inam, his cousin Mohammad Bilal and the Youth Olympics bronze medallist Inayatullah have the potential to win gold medals in Birmingham.

The preparation will also help the top grapplers to click in the Asian Games, which are slated to be held in China in September.

Arshad said that in the Commonwealth Games the six Olympics weights have been kept, while the South Africa’s Commonwealth Championship will be contested in ten weights.