Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: With a series of big international events looming, the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) is still uncertain whether or not its potential javelin throwers will be able to get the much-needed elite training to claim medals at them.

The World Athletics Championships are penciled in for July 15-24 in Oregon, followed by the Birmingham Commonwealth Games (CWG), scheduled to be held from July 28 to August 8. The Islamic Solidarity Games (ISG) will be taking place from August 9 to 18 at Konya, Turkey. Then, the 2022 Asian Games will take place from September 10 to 25 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.

Keeping in view these prestigious international events, the AFP had planned to send Olympian Arshad Nadeem and another bright prospect Muhammad Yasir to South Africa for training at the Northwest University in Potchefstroom under the guidance of the world acclaimed javelin coach Terseus Leibenburg.

But Major Gen Muhammad Akram Sahi (Retd), the president of AFP revealed on Wednesday that the athletes’ departure for South Africa was in limbo as they were desperately awaiting their visas despite having applied for them over a month ago.

“We’d filed visa applications for these two athletes on 7th of January through an authorized visa application centre in Lahore. But we are not sure when we are going to get these endorsed.

“The situation is quite worrying as we’ve made advance room bookings for them there [in Potchefstroom] and paid 2.5 million rupees for that. We have been told that we may even lose that amount if we remain unable to send our athletes within no time,” Sahi told APP.

“Since booking the rooms we’ve been requesting the hotel management time and again to defer our athletes’ check-in for a few more days but now they have communicated us that we don’t have any more chance,” he added.

According to Sahi, the federation had written letters to the authorities concerned to help expedite visa process, but so far no headway had been made. “Look this is a national cause. The athletes must proceed now otherwise there will be very bleak chances of their podium finish at the international events.”

Citing example of India’s Neeraj Chopra, who won gold medal in Tokyo 2020 Olympics, he said the Indian javelin star had been training in the US since December. “And as per my information, he is going to train there till September to remain in shape for all the big-ticket events.”

He said although Pakistan’s medal hopes Arshad and Yasir were also engaged in workouts and training sessions at a camp in Lahore but the federation wanted to better prepare them for important international assignments like the Worlds, CWG, ISG and Asiad. “Several world-class athletes get training in Potchefstroom for flagship events. We believe if our athletes will train there they will be in a much better position to earn medals.”

To a question as why the booking for rooms was made so advance, he said: “It becomes difficult to get bookings at the facility closer to the big events. Hence, bookings are made in advance to stay at the residential facility of the training centre.

Sahi said the federation was also suffering from the scarcity of funds to meet training expenditures of its athletes at Potchefstroom. “The federation has itself managed 2.5 million rupees for their travelling and lodging in South Africa. But it needs a total of 20 million rupees to meet their all expenditures till their stay there and participation in the upcoming international events,” he maintained.

The 25-year-old Arshad shot to fame when he made a direct entry in last year’s Olympics where he finished at a commendable fifth spot in the final, featuring the world’s elite javelin throwers.