LAHORE: Pakistan’s top badminton player Mahoor Shahzad has secured an invitational place in badminton and will be representing Pakistan at the Tokyo Olympics, according to a spokesman for the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) on Wednesday. “POA President Lt Gen (r) Syed Arif Hasan has felicitated Mahoor Shahzad and appreciated the POA Secretariat and Wajid Ali of Pakistan Badminton Federation for scrupulously following the process and completion of formalities. The POA has duly informed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Badminton World Federation (BWF) of acceptance of the invitational place,” added the spokesman. “She deserves to participate in the Olympics,” he said. Mahoor is ranked amongst the top 133 women players in the world. This is the first time a Pakistani woman has been given an invitational place in the Olympics considering her international status and ranking. “My dream has come true. I can’t believe I will represent Pakistan in the Olympics. I will live up to expectations and raise the green crescent flag,” Mahoor said. She said that had she been given an opportunity to participate in international events during the last one year, she would have been on the list of the world’s top 100 badminton players. She was not able to do this, however, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.