News

Pakistan Weightlifting Federation (PWF) plans to send seven or eight weightlifters to Jordon in July to feature in the Asian Weightlifting Championship to give them exposure ahead of the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games to be held later this year.

“The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) had asked for the preparation plans of the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games and we have submitted them accordingly in which we have also disclosed our motive to send a full-fledged squad to Jordon to participate in the Asian Championship to be held at the end of July,” the secretary of the PWF Hafiz Imran Butt told ‘The News’ on Sunday in an interview.

Commonwealth Games will be held in New Delhi from October 3 to 14 while the Asian Games will be organised by China in Guangzhou from November 12-27.

Butt said that the Asian Championship would help the boys to test their muscles and temperament ahead of the major event being hosted by India.

He said, initially, the PWF had asked for the initiation of the camp in March in connection with the preparations for the coming major events but after the plans could not materialised the federation has now requested the PSB that the camp for the national weightlifters for the said purpose should begin at least from April 1.

He added that the weightlifters for the Asian Championship, which would serve as a warm-up event for the Commonwealth Games, would be picked soon after the National Championship – penciled in for March 30-31 in Lahore.