By Alam Zeb Safi
LAHORE: Pakistan will send a 36-member contingent comprising athletes and officials to the XXIII Commonwealth Games in Glasgow later this month, with Olympic javelin champion Arshad Nadeem leading the country’s medal hopes.
The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) said on Thursday the delegation will compete in athletics, boxing, judo, gymnastics, lawn bowls and swimming at the Games, which will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 23 to August 2.
Major General Adil Rehmani has been appointed Chef de Mission, while Major (Retd.) Majid Waseem will serve as General Team Manager. Dr Syed Meesaq Hussain Rizvi has been named Chief Medical Officer for the contingent.
Pakistan’s athletics squad will feature Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem alongside Olympian Faiqa Riaz, Ansar Abbas, Muhammad Akhtar, Muhammad Ismail, Muhammad Yasir and Noreen Hussain. The athletics team will be accompanied by coaches Feryal Farooq, Ashraf Ali and Salman Iqbal Butt.
The boxing team includes Afzal Khan, Fatima Zahra, Malaika Zahid, Qudrat Ullah and Sumama Rehman, with Major Irfan Younis serving as team leader and Muhammad Nisar Khan as coach.
Shahzad Ali will represent Pakistan in gymnastics under coach Khalid Mahmood, while Shah Hussain Shah will compete in judo with Japanese coach Takehiro Yamashita.
Pakistan’s lawn bowls team comprises Maqsood Waseem Khan and Mohammad Ayub Qureshi, led by Muhammad Afzal, while the swimming squad includes Hamza Asif, Hareem Malik, Jehanara Nabi and Muhammad Ahmed Durrani under team leader Brigadier (Retd.) Rizwan Rafi.
The POA said the contingent would travel to Scotland in phases from Lahore and Islamabad.
The gymnastics team is scheduled to depart on July 20 while most of the remaining squads will leave Pakistan on July 21. The athletics contingent will depart on July 24 because of competition schedules.
Arshad Nadeem and athletics coach Salman Iqbal Butt will travel directly to Glasgow from Switzerland after competing in an international athletics event before the Commonwealth Games, the POA said.
The association said each contingent would return to Pakistan separately after completing its competition, in line with confirmed travel arrangements.
The POA said Pakistan’s participation reflected the country’s commitment to developing elite sport and providing athletes with opportunities to compete at the international level.
It also thanked the Government of Pakistan and the respective national sports federations for supporting the athletes’ preparation and participation at the Games.
The association said it expected the athletes and officials to uphold the highest standards of sportsmanship and represent Pakistan with distinction while striving for strong performances in Glasgow.
