Inam calls for adequate foreign training ahead of major events

KARACHI: Pakistan’s premier wrestler Mohammad Inam has said that the country’s wrestling squad needs a 50-day training on foreign soil ahead of the major international events which will be held in the next few months.

“It’s very important for us to train for about 50 days on foreign soil if we are to perform in the Commonwealth Games, Islamic Games and Asian Games and to secure medals,” Inam told ‘The News’ in an interview after returning from Mongolia where he and two other wrestlers Inayatullah and Mohammad Bilal featured in the Asian Championship held in Ulaanbaatar a few days ago.

“We need Rs 5 million for training on foreign soil. It will be needed for our eight-member squad (7 wrestlers and one coach) to meet its air-fare, accommodation, diet, training facilities and coaches payment. We have also talked to the wrestlers about how much we could afford individually and we are also talking with the PSB and let’s see what the Board can help us with,” Inam said.

“Pakistan Wrestling Federation (PWF) is also making an effort and if we are able to get the required money then we will go to Iran or Kazakhstan. If we get to train there for one and a half months then I am confident our performance in the coming mega events will improve,” he said.

Inam said that Mongolia’s tour helped them know where they stand then.

“Our main target is the Commonwealth Games and we have kept Asian Championship as a rehearsal tournament. The 15 to 20 days we spent in Mongolia helped us to know where we stand. We have come to know of our mistakes and now we need to learn from them,” he said.

“After Eid our camp will begin under the patronage of Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and it will be a 20-day camp ,” Inam said.

The Commonwealth Games will be held in Birmingham from July 28 to August 8, Islamic Games will be conducted by Turkey in Konya, from August 9-18 while Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou, China, from September 10-25.

Pakistan top wrestler Inam lost his 86kg first fight in the Asian Championship in Mongolia against a Kyrgyzstan wrestler after a sweating affair as the result remained 6-5.

Inam said although he lost he fought well against a top-ranked player.

“In draws I had been bracketed with the fourth seeded grappler of Kyrgyzstan. He is also the Asian medallist. Thank God the fight remained well,” adding that he gave his opponent a tough time. He recalled that he was in a winning position but just in the last moments he had lost the game by only a point due to his opponent’s successful rotation.

Inam said that he was happy with his performance against the world’s leading player.

“Yes there are areas where I need to improve,” Inam accepted.

He pointed out that they faced problems because their rankings were not too high. “For the last one year UWW has introduced new rules and now according to those rules the top-ranked players don’t compete against each other until in semi-finals or finals,” Inam said.

“Previously simple draws used to be held and if you got easy draws you could click. Look at my weight, six to seven players were Olympians. If we are to compete at the Asian level we will have to make extra effort and improve our rankings at the global level. You can improve rankings when you play six to seven events in a year but we are very much short of that target,” the wrestler said.

Inam said Pakistan had sent its best three wrestlers to Mongolia. “All our three wrestlers who featured in the Mongolia Asian Championship are the country’s top players. Inayat also has a good stint in the international circuit, having won a bronze in the Youth Olympics as well and Bilal has also done well in international events during the last five years. I mean to say that Pakistan had sent its best team but you know Asian level is equal to world level and we will need to work more to impress in this zone,” he said. Inam will defend his 86kg title in the Commonwealth Games.