?Inam not favourite to win gold medal in Asian Games?

KARACHI: A senior official of Pakistan Wrestling Federation (PWF) on Saturday said he could not guarantee that the country’s premier wrestler Mohammad Inam would win gold medal in the Asian Games but added that he was capable of claiming a medal in the Asiad as he was in top form.“I cannot guarantee that Inam would win gold in Asian Games but I can say that he can capture silver or bronze. He is in great form and can do that,” the PWF secretary Arshad Sattar told ‘The News’.“There would be a tough competition as world-class wrestlers, especially from Iran, would be in his class,” the official said.After claiming gold in the Commonwealth Games, Inam has emerged as a hero of the country which hardly won one gold and four bronze in the biennial event in Australia last month.Because of minimum chance of winning a medal in the Asian Games, the PWF has decided to a send a small squad to Indonesia. “Inam and Mohammad Bilal would be in the squad while one or two more will join them. It is more likely that we will send three or four wrestlers to the Asian Games,” Arshad informed.The Asian Games will be held in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang from August 18 to September 2.The PWF is also working on sending its cream abroad for a couple of months’ training ahead of the Asian Games.“We are in contact with Russia, Ukraine and Turkey. We have already intimated the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) about our plans. If we get a nod from any target country then we will send our grapplers there for a couple of months’ training. We hope things would be finalised in one month’s time,” the official said.He was quick to add that a foreign training tour would help Pakistani grapplers in the Asian Games. “Its about training. A quality training boosts chances of an athlete,” he said.Arshad said that the PWF had been working hard for the growth of its athletes. “We are doing our best. Inam’s defence was weak but we worked on him and he is now much better in that area. He is now better than the wrestlers of India, Japan, Korea and China and can create some chances in the Asiad,” he added.Arshad said that young wrestler Inayatullah had been training in Uzbekistan. “We had sent him to Uzbekistan to feature in the Youth Olympic qualifiers (Asian Cadet Championships). He lost to Kazakhstan’s grappler and the Kazakh qualified for the Youth Olympics. For the bronze medal race, Inayat defeated Mongolia but then lost to Japan,” Arshad said.Inayat had also lifted gold in the Beach World Championship cadet category in Turkey last year.The 2018 Asian Games would be a great challenge for Pakistan’s contingent as the country has so far failed in beginnning its preparations in full swing for the continent’s biggest extravaganza.In 2014 Incheon Asian Games, Pakistan had snared gold in women’s T20 cricket, silver in men’s hockey and bronze each in boxing, kabaddi and wushu.There will be no T20 cricket this time. In boxing, Mohammad Waseem, who had won bronze in the Incheon edition, would also be absent as he has turned pro.The wrestling camp had been in operation at the PSB Coaching Centre, Lahore, along with ju-jitsu and karate. The camps had been stopped by the PSB due to funding issues but a senior PSB official told ‘The News’ on Saturday that the Board had taken its decision of stopping the camps for Asian Games back and the athletes could resume their preparations at the respective places.“Yes, we have taken our decision back for the sake of those athletes who are preparing for the Asian Games,” a PSB official said.

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