KARACHI: Boxing authorities in the country are mulling over the option to provide an extensive training to the national boxers on foreign soil ahead of the Olympic Qualifiers.
“We are thinking over the option to provide training to our cream in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and England ahead of the qualifiers so that few of them could make a cut for the Olympics,” the secretary of the Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) Mohammad Akram Khan told ‘The News’ here in an interview.
“The world governing body (AIBA) Vice-President and the reigning President of the Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) Gafur Rakhimov will help us in the provision of training facilities in Uzbekistan. We are seeking for the details about the training schedule and the cost and then we will try to send our pugilists for around three months training there,” Akram said.
Pakistani boxers will get three events in the coming 15 months which will serve as qualifiers for the Olympics pencilled in for July 27 to August 12, 2012 in London.
The first of them will be the World Championship to be held in Azerbaijan in September next year. It will be followed by twin continental events in Asthana (Kazakhstan) in January 2012 and Philippines in March 2012.
The quarter-finalists of the World Championship will qualify for Olympics while the gold and silver medallists of the continental events will make it to the world’s most prestigious event.
However, in the continental qualifiers the bronze medallists of the light flyweight, flyweight and featherweight will play amongst themselves and the winners will make it to the Olympics.
“AIBA is already busy in establishing an academy in Kazakhstan and if it succeeds then we will try to make a plan to send few of our boxers there in minimum rate,” Akram said.
“The father of light welterweight World Champion Amir Khan has also offered PBF to send four boxers to England for training ahead of the qualifiers,” he said.
Arshad Hussain, Aamir Khan and Mir Waiz are likely to be ignored for the qualifiers.“We have given several chances to Arshad Hussain and Mir Waiz while Aamir Khan still has more time at his disposal. We will keep them in training camp but they could be skipped for the coming events to give them some time to think,” Akram said. “There are few young boxers like Zulqarnain in 69kg and Waqas in super heavyweight from Army who are very talented. There is another boxer in Islamabad who is also very talented. They are in our plans to be included in the main pool,” Akram said.
“We will try to continue with the Cuban coach Francisco Roldan till Olympics. Though his one year contract has expired but we have written to the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) for its renewal,” Akram revealed.
He also disclosed that the PBF also plans to hold an international tournament here in Karachi to help the boxers to get sufficient experience before the Qualifiers.
“We are thinking over the option to provide training to our cream in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and England ahead of the qualifiers so that few of them could make a cut for the Olympics,” the secretary of the Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) Mohammad Akram Khan told ‘The News’ here in an interview.
“The world governing body (AIBA) Vice-President and the reigning President of the Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) Gafur Rakhimov will help us in the provision of training facilities in Uzbekistan. We are seeking for the details about the training schedule and the cost and then we will try to send our pugilists for around three months training there,” Akram said.
Pakistani boxers will get three events in the coming 15 months which will serve as qualifiers for the Olympics pencilled in for July 27 to August 12, 2012 in London.
The first of them will be the World Championship to be held in Azerbaijan in September next year. It will be followed by twin continental events in Asthana (Kazakhstan) in January 2012 and Philippines in March 2012.
The quarter-finalists of the World Championship will qualify for Olympics while the gold and silver medallists of the continental events will make it to the world’s most prestigious event.
However, in the continental qualifiers the bronze medallists of the light flyweight, flyweight and featherweight will play amongst themselves and the winners will make it to the Olympics.
“AIBA is already busy in establishing an academy in Kazakhstan and if it succeeds then we will try to make a plan to send few of our boxers there in minimum rate,” Akram said.
“The father of light welterweight World Champion Amir Khan has also offered PBF to send four boxers to England for training ahead of the qualifiers,” he said.
Arshad Hussain, Aamir Khan and Mir Waiz are likely to be ignored for the qualifiers.“We have given several chances to Arshad Hussain and Mir Waiz while Aamir Khan still has more time at his disposal. We will keep them in training camp but they could be skipped for the coming events to give them some time to think,” Akram said. “There are few young boxers like Zulqarnain in 69kg and Waqas in super heavyweight from Army who are very talented. There is another boxer in Islamabad who is also very talented. They are in our plans to be included in the main pool,” Akram said.
“We will try to continue with the Cuban coach Francisco Roldan till Olympics. Though his one year contract has expired but we have written to the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) for its renewal,” Akram revealed.
He also disclosed that the PBF also plans to hold an international tournament here in Karachi to help the boxers to get sufficient experience before the Qualifiers.
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