Wushu body seeks training in China or Iran early next year

KARACHI: Pakistan Wushu Federation (PWF) is keen to send its top fighters to either China or Iran early next year to prepare for the 19th Asian Games slated to be held in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 8, 2023.

“Yes we want to send our leading fighters to China or Iran in April or May 2023. If we give them training for a couple of months on foreign soil it will create our medal chances in the Asian Games,” PWF president Malik Iftikhar told 'The News' on Thursday in an interview.

“You know travelling and other related costs are very high and we request the government to assist us in our plans and we will not disappoint it as our fighters have the potential to win medals in the Asian Games,” Malik said.

“China are No1 and Iran are No2 and we have friendly relations with both. We will let our fighters play against their fighters at the club level, state level and then with their national fighters. It will help us know and work on their weak points. If a fighter fights against 15 different fighters then it will help us know where he stands and it will also help us know whether the approach of our coaches is right,” said Malik, who himself is a wushu expert.

Malik said that a strong squad will be taken to Hangzhou for the Asian Games. “Whenever we have trained abroad we have won medal. Ahead of the 2018 Asian Games we had not sent our squad abroad for training but still we fought well and our fighter Maaz Khan missed the medal narrowly,” Malik said.

“We don't want to play in the championships ahead of the Asian Games as there our fighters will not get enough experience. Training abroad for a couple of months and with variety of fighters can yield good results,” said the official.

Malik said that they have a fighting lot with load of experience. He added that Maaz Khan, Shah Zeb, Saddam Hussain, Abdul Khaliq and Sajid Hussain are some of the fighters who could excel in the Asian Games.

Pakistan wushu squad has never returned empty-handed from the Asian Games since its insertion a few years ago except the last edition in Indonesia where the nation did not win a medal.

Malik said in order to strengthen the bench the federation plans to hold country-wide trials to pick 24 to 25 talented fighters.

“Our plan is to hold trials in every province for 14 to 18 years old fighters. We did this experiment nine years ago also. But this is a new thing as we have a Higher Secondary School in Lahore and we plan if parents of the selected youngsters agree to leave their children at our disposal we will put them in the school where they will study free of cost and will also play wushu. They will also get board and lodging at the hostel of that school free of cost. If some of them pose a threat to the existing lot during fights then definitely they will be considered for the Asian Games squad,” Malik said.

“There will be a sort of trust which will meet the expenses and its donors will be its office-bearers and it will have nothing to do with the federation,” Malik revealed.

“In November we will hold trials in Azad Kashmir, in December in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtuhkhwa, in January and March in Punjab and Balochistan, respectively,” Malik said.