LAHORE: Former secretary of the Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) Naveed Mahmood has blasted incumbent PJF’s decision to send two judokas to the World Judo Championships which, he says, was simply a joy-ride for the officials since both the athletes crashed out after losing their initial fights.

The former PJF secretary, in a press statement, said that the incumbent PJF regime which is headed by retired Col Rana Shujaat has done nothing to train the athletes on professional lines or for the promotion of judo in the country. He disclosed that both the judokas representing Pakistan were Japan-based who lost their opening fights in the World Judo Championship held recently in Kazakhstan.

“Before the departure of the team, the secretary of the federation kept on praising the Kazakhstan-bound players,” Naveed said.

“The federation was so sure about Pakistan’s chances in the mega event that earlier they were planning to send eight players. However, sanity prevailed as the PSB refused to foot the bill and allowed only two players along with several officials to go to Kazakhstan,” he disclosed.

Naveed further said that India, which had judo medals to its credit in the Olympics, did not send even a single player to the World event while Iran, having won gold medals in the Olympics, sent only one player.

“This was because they had already realized that they had no chance at all to get any medal in the high level international tournament. And as was expected, both our players lost their bouts in the preliminary rounds,” lamented Naveed.

“Thus the campaign for Rio Games has come to an end for us. However, the officials who went to Kazakhstan had a very nice ‘vacation’ and shopping trip.”

Naveed also appealed to the Inter-Provincial Ministry to take action against the PJF for squandering resources on such wasteful trips which were arranged only as joyrides for the officials.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2015

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