ISLAMABAD, Sept 28 (APP): The first contingent of 58-members from Pakistan will leave for New Delhi on Wednesday to participate in XIX Common Wealth Games, starting from Oct 3. “We are not going to pull out from the event and our delegations will go as planned,” Coordinator of Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) for Commonwealth Games Major ® Muhammad Afzal told APP on Tuesday.
Pakistan will compete in eight disciplines and their hockey, squash, tennis, weightlifting, wrestling and boxing teams will depart on Wednesday (Sept 29), while three athletes and an eight-member shooting team will leave on October 2. In total, 75 members, including six officials will tour India during the event. “We have already booked seats for our contingents, which will be travelling in batches,” Afzal said.
He said the POA had sent a delegation to India as part of a pre-event assessment. The delegation expressed no apprehension about security but found the residential facilities in the games village as unsatisfactory, he said. “So we have given the organizers time till our contingents reach there. They have assured that our grievances would be removed”, he added. Meanwhile, Director General of Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Syed Amir Hamza Gillani urged the Pakistani contingents to produce fine results in the mega event. “We hope a good show from our athletes and are confident that they will keep the country’s flag high”, he said during an inter-action with the athletes.
He said the PSB had done its best to provide qualitative facilities and training to athletes in training camps and in return it expected that they would perform well. The athletes need to show passion, devotion and fighting spirit in games, he added.
Pakistan clinched one gold, three silvers and a bronze medal in the last Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne, Australia four years ago – APP
