ISLAMABAD: Pakistan judokas’ training camp is in full swing at Kunj Football Stadium Abbottabad under the supervision of Iranian coach Sajjad Kazmi, Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) said on Friday.
“Kazmi had joined the camp in the middle of last month in Islamabad. However, on May 23 we shifted it to Abbottabad where it will continue till June 22. After that we are considering to move it to Peshawar till our judokas departure for Commonwealth Games,” Masood Ahmed, the PJF vice-president told APP.
According to Masood, besides Commonwealth Games, the national judokas will feature in the Islamic Solidarity Games, Asian Games and some grand slam events. He said initially the federation was focused on Commonwealth Games, scheduled to be held in venues all across Birmingham and the West Midlands from July 28 to August 8.
“The top-notch judokas from across the world will be competing in different divisions of judo in the Commonwealth Games. Hence, we are preparing for the event accordingly,” he said.
He said the participation of Japan-based judoka Olympian Shah Hussain and the country’s ace judoka Qaiser Afridi was confirmed in the Games. “Afridi will be fighting in -100kg division, while Shah, who used to fight in the same division [-100 kg] has reduced his weight to compete in the -90kg division for the first time,” he said.
He said the federation would provide chances to the promising judokas to showcase their talent in the major international events. “Currently around 30 judokas from our different affiliated units are getting training at the camp. We want to ensure that every talented judoka gets a fair chance to represent the country at the international level,” he added.
