LAHORE: Pakistan wrestling squad will fly out of here for Belgrade, Serbia, on September 4 to feature in the World Wrestling Championship which will be held from September 16 to 24.
The World Championship is also the first qualifying round for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Before the World Championship the national wrestling squad, featuring three wrestlers including seasoned Mohammad Inam, Mohammad Bilal and Inayatullah, will also undergo a ten-day joint training camp from September 5-15 being organised by the United World Wrestling (UWW).
The wrestlers of the entire world will be provided with free of cost boarding facilities by the UWW during the ten-day training. Pakistani wrestlers will also get a golden opportunity to do some training with the world’s best lot.
Pakistan Wrestling Federation (PWF) have applied for the visas for the trio and it hopes that the paper visas will be received in the next few hours.
“We have applied for the Serbia’s visas and today or tomorrow we will get them,” PWF vice-president Arshad Sattar told The News here on Friday. “I will also fly on September 15 as an official. I will have to get my visa through Iran as there is no Serbian embassy in Pakistan,” Arshad said.
Arshad said that the Serbia-bound wrestlers are in good shape. “All the three are with us in the training camp here at Lahore and are in top shape. I hope any one from our crew will be able to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics through the World Championship,” Arshad said.
“It’s a huge thing that we have got this golden opportunity to train our wrestlers there for ten days. They will also fight with quality wrestlers and will also learn from the best coaching crew. They will also get acclimatized with the local conditions which will help them latter in the World Championship,” Arshad said. “It will help them learn and I hope they will produce the desired results in the World Championship,” Arshad was quick to add.
As many as top six wrestlers in each weight will qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Arshad said that the premier wrestler Mohammad Inam is fit. “He is super fit,” Arshad said. If anyone qualifies for the Olympics then it will be the first time in history that any national grappler will be able to do so.
Pakistan squad will return from Serbia on September 19 and on October 1 the crew will move to Hangzhou, China, to feature in the 19th Asian Games. This is the first time that Pakistan is attending such a major camp ahead of the World Championship.
The Asian Games squad includes Zaman Anwar, Inayatullah, Mohammad Bilal and Haider Ali Butt. Ghulam Fareed will he accompanying the side as coach. Mohammad Inam is not in the Asian Games squad. He had to go to Hungary for an IOC coaching course during the days when trials for the Asian Games were being held. However latter he could not go due to delay in visa. However he is a big Olympics hope for Pakistan this time at a stage when he is going to fold his career.
Besides the Belgrade World Championship national wrestlers will also get a couple of more opportunities next year where they will press for the Olympics seats. They will feature in the Asian Qualifying round in Bishkek in April 2024 before taking part in the World Qualifying round in Istanbul in May 2024.
Arshad was also hopeful about Pakistan’s chances in the Asian Games. “The wrestlers have trained very well under Fareed at Lahore and now the training in Serbia and then the World Championship experience will boost their medal chances in the Asian Games,” Arshad said.
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