EFP yet to forward Usman’s entry to POA for Asian Games

By our correspondent
KARACHI: Despite having already qualified for the 19th Asian Games early last year Equestrian Federation of Pakistan (EFP) has not yet sent the country’s premier rider Usman Khan’s entry to the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) for onward submission with the organisers of the quadrennial event to be held in China in September-October.
“No, we have not yet received Usman’s entry,” a POA source told ‘The News’.
When an EFP official was approached he said: “POA and EFP have to communicate regarding this matter.”
This correspondent has also learnt that POA has received an entry of a showjumper from the EFP.
“I have qualified for the Asian Games for the third successive time and now it is the job of the EFP to file my entry with the POA for further process,” Usman told a major English daily.
“I want to feature in the Asian Games and am currently based at Europe which would help me to travel to China with a bit ease as it will incur less expenses,” the Melbourne-based Usman said.
Usman had finished 12th at the FEI CIC 2 Star long format in Paris last May to qualify for the Hangzhou Asian Games which are slated to be held from September 23 to October 8 this year.
Usman had also set a new national record in dressage during that event.
It was Usman’s comeback event after a long 150-day of rehab which he had to pass through after he had been critically injured in a fatal incident during the qualifying round for the Tokyo Olympics in Australia in 2020.
“If I am able to feature in the Asian Games I am confident I will pull off my best performance,” Usman said.
Usman is also on the way of another Olympics qualification as he has already entered into the FEI three-star events and his chances of earning 2024 Paris Olympics seat are alive.
He had also qualified for the Tokyo Olympics but he had to revise his qualification process after his horse Azad Kashmir died in 2019. And when he was very close to confirm his Olympics seat again through his horse Kasheer the Pakistani pair met with a deadly incident just before the finish line in Australia, resulting in the death of Kasheer which deprived Pakistan from qualifying for the Tokyo Games. Usman had sustained critical injuries as a result of that major crash.