Pakistani athletes are in uncertain situation whether Tokyo Olympics 2020 will be held or not,
By; Asghar Ali Mubarak
Pakistan athletes are in uncertain situation whether Tokyo Olympics 2020 will be held or not. The Pakistani athlete’s training badly affected due to corona virus pandemic. The corona virus COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected training of those athletes who are either battling for Olympics seats or have qualified, and are preparing, for the world’s most prestigious Tokyo Olympic games 2020. Pakistan is scheduled to compete at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo from 24 July to 9 August 2020. Tokyo Olympics will be postponed until 2021, veteran IOC member Dick Pound said on other day .The International Olympics Committee member has said that the competition will not take place as planned this year.’On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided.’The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.’It will come in stages. We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense.’ It will be the nation’s eighteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics. For the first time in history, Pakistan entered one eventing rider into the Olympic equestrian competition, by finishing in the top two, outside the group selection, of the individual FEI Olympic Rankings for Group F (Africa and Middle East). Pakistani shooters achieved quota places for the following events by virtue of their best finishes at the 2018 ISSF World Championships, the 2019 ISSF World Cup series, and Asian Championships, as long as they obtained a minimum qualifying score (MQS) by May 31, 2020.A Pakistan’s seasoned karateka Saadi Abbas in his interview said the situation was very uncomfortable for the athletes. “Yes, it has hit the athletes hard,” Saadi stated “The qualification rounds have been cancelled. Our three rounds were hit by the coronavirus crisis,” Saadi said. “The first top list has been issued by the World Karate Federation. In the second phase I can get a chance. The third phase is the world qualifying round which was scheduled to be held in Paris in May but has been delayed by one month and will be conducted from June 19-21,” he said.“And that is also uncertain as Paris has been locked down. All European countries have been hit hard. America is also suffering,” Saadi added. “It is not yet known whether Olympics will be held or not. I used to train twice a day; now it is difficult to do that as all gyms here in Dubai are closed. I go to Corniche where I run for eight kilometers and do some sprints and work a little on techniques. Full training is not possible because of the issue,” said Saadi, one of Pakistan’s Olympics prospects. The two-time Commonwealth Karate Championships gold medalist and the US Open title holder and Asian champion plays in -75kg. Saadi would create history if he qualified for Tokyo 2020.Five players of Pakistan in various disciplines have already qualified for Tokyo 2020. Saadi and Japan-based judoka Shah Hussain are expected to become part of Pakistan’s Olympics contingent. Olympian Shah has already achieved the continental quota but he will have to maintain Asia’s top spot until the end of qualifiers which have been postponed by the International Judo Federation (IJF) because of the issue.
It is mentioned here that the National Olympic Committee for Pakistan was created in 1948. Rome 1960 has been the most successful Olympics for Pakistan so far, with Pakistan winning two medals: a gold medal in field hockey and a bronze medal in wrestling. Pakistan has won two individual medals in the Olympics to date, both bronze medals: one in wrestling in Rome 1960 and one in boxing in Seoul 1988.Pakistan has not won a single medal at the Olympic Games since Barcelona. Pakistan first participated at the Olympic Games in 1948 in London, and has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games since then, except when they participated in the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Union. Pakistani athletes have won a total of ten medals, all in the Summer Olympics with eight of those from men’s field hockey. In 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, Pakistan’s Syed Hadi Haider Naqvi did pick up a bronze medal in the demonstration sport of Tae-Kwon-Do, but as the sport was not given full status, the medal was not recognized in the official tally. Ghulam Mustafa Bashir is a Pakistani sports shooter. He competed in the men’s 25 meter rapid fire pistol event at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He finished in 18th place in the qualifying round and did not advance to the final.[2] He was the flag bearer for Pakistan during the Parade of Nations.Pakistan’s first ever participation in the Winter Olympic Games was at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics when Mohammad Abbas became Pakistan’s first athlete to qualify in the Alpine Skiing (Giant Slalom) category.
