KARACHI, May 12: Due to lack of funds, Pakistan Amateur Boxing Federation (PABF) is facing lot of problems in implementing its plan to send boxers abroad for training according to international standards and style, said Prof Anwar Chowdhry, president PABF.

Prof Chowdhry, who is also president of International Amateur Boxing Association (IABA), said that PABF had planned to send four top boxers to Russia and Azerbaijan later this summer as a part of an ambitious training programme for the Athens Olympics 2004.

He said that PABF has selected two boxers each for the tours of Russia and Azerbaijan which have been planned to train them for the next year’s Olympiad in Athens.

“Lack of funds are the main hindrance in accomplishment of the plan” he claimed.

To a query he elaborated that unfortunately boxing was regarded as the poor man’s sport in Pakistan, due to which nobody is ready to sponsor the boxers.

Boxing faced always step motherly treatment in the country and PABF gets only Rs.2 lac form the government, he said.

It is not possible for us to move according to the plan without required funds and without having enough funds we could not generate the desired results from the boxers.

PABF chief said that accomplishment of the plan was based on grant of Rs 10 million announced by the government last year. But despite lapse of over six months, the federation has not received a single penny, he told.

He said that the boxers in Pakistan have the potential but lack of proper training according to the international standards will be the factor affecting their performance in next year Olympics.

The PABF boss wants the boxers to leave for their destinations next month.

Azerbaijan and Russia will be their respective training bases from where they will move to other countries to compete in international tournaments including the Pre-Olympic qualifying events to be held from January to May next year.

“I think that the reason why Asian boxers were behind there European, American or African counterparts is the fact that they do not have enough experience of fighting pugilists from the other continents,” chowdhry viewed.

He said that the reason why he decided to send boxers to Russia and Azerbaijan was the fact that these two countries were considered super powers in the international amateur boxing circuit.

He further said that they had been running from pillar to post to get the funds but all efforts went in vain and this cold shoulder response from the government may cause further damage to the sport in country.—PPI