Pakistan contingent for Commonwealth Games finalised

KARACHI: A 103-member Pakistan contingent -- 73 players and 30 officials in 14 disciplines -- will participate in the Commonwealth Games slated to be held in Birmingham from July 28 to August 8, it has been reliably learnt.

According to sources, the biggest squad will be of hockey which will carry 18 players and six officials while women cricket team will carry 15 players and five officials.

There will be six players and two officials each for weightlifting and wrestling -- Pakistan's top two disciplines in which the country is expected to win medals.

Four male boxers and one female will be accompanied by two male officials during the Games for which training camps have already been held.

In athletics, two male and two female athletes will feature and they will be accompanied by one male and one female official.

Pakistan will be represented in badminton by two male and two female shuttlers and they will be accompanied by one male and one female official.

It has been learnt that Olympian Shah Hussain and emerging Qaiser Afridi will be moving to Birmingham to represent Pakistan in judo in which the country won silver in the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games through Shah Hussain. One official will accompany the two judokas.

There will be a six-member squash squad -- two male and two female players and one male and one female official.

The strength of the remaining disciplines is as follows: swimming (2 male, 2 female swimmers, 2 officials), table tennis (one male player, one official), gymnastics (one male gymnast, one official), para athletics (1 male, one female athlete, one male official) and para table tennis (one female player, one male official).

It has been learnt that Pakistan Sports Bpard (PSB) will back only those athletes who have medal chances in these Games. A source told 'The News' that most of the federations are determined to meet their own expenses if there is an issue. It is pertinent to mention here that board and lodging will be provided by the organisers free of cost during the Games and the participating nations will only have to manage their air-tickets.

Pakistan Olympic Association's (POA) vice-president Abid Qadri Gillani will serve as chef de mission while Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Director General Col (retd) Asif Zaman and Pakistan Swimming Federation (PSF) chairman Major (retd) Majid Wasim will serve as deputy chef de missions.

As per rules one deputy chef de mission will act as secretary contingent during the trip.

Dr Asad Abbas, Secretary CGA Pakistan Medical Commission, will be the chief medical officer.

During a meeting of the POA with the officials of the federations whose athletes are set to feature in these Games, the NOC apprised the federations that the CGA Pakistan completed the online accreditation within the given timeline of March 18. The representatives of the federations of badminton, boxing, gymnastics, hockey, squash, swimming, table tennis, weightlifting, wrestling and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) attended the meeting on Monday.

The federations were asked to share the programmes of training camps of their athletes.