Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: A large number of athletes belonging to various disciplines gathered here at the Pakistan Sports Complex as training camps for the upcoming Asian Games commenced here Thursday. A 397-strong contingent will represent Pakistan in the 18th edition of the Asian Games in Jakarata from August 18 to September 2. The training camps have been set up in three cities – Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi – with major camps being conducted here in Islamabad which include baseball, weightlifting, athletics, handball, taekwondo, karate and boxing. “Athletes and officials have reported and they also took part in training sessions on Thursday,” said a spokesman for the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB).

He said the camp of ju-jitsu, wrestling, wushu and men’s swimming had been set up in Lahore while women’s swimming camp had been set up in Karachi. “The training camp for squash is already in progress in Islamabad while the camps for tennis, kabaddi, volleyball and badminton players will be set up in Islamabad at a later date,” he added. To a question, he said that hockey training camp would be setup later, after national team’s participation in the FIH Champions Trophy being staged in the Netherlands from June 23 to July 1. “This time around, we are not supporting those eight national federations which are not affiliated with the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and five other federations which include archery, basketball, football, gymnastics and table tennis for training and participation.”

When asked about the national table tennis federation, which is affiliated with the PSB, he said that there was a dispute between the two groups, one led by SM Sibtain and the other by Khawaja Wadood. “The POA recognises Sibtain-headed body while the PSB recognises Khawaja-led association. So the current status of the table tennis federation is disputed, that’s why we have decided not to fund it,” the spokesman added.

Published in Daily Times, June 22^nd 2018.