KARACHI: Judoka Shah Hussain will be Pakistan's flag bearer at the Rio Olympics, kicking off in Rio De Janeiro from August 5, Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Director Akhtar Ganjera told DawnNews on Wednesday.

Traditionally, the captain of the Pakistan Hockey Team used to lift the national flag at the Games. The Hockey team's failure to qualify for Rio made the PSB delay the decision before it finally chose Shah to carry out the flag bearing honours.

Hussain is the son of the medal winning pugilist Hussain Shah and is the only athlete who sealed a place at the coveted multi-sports event under continental quota.

Hussain also won a gold in South Asian Games held in Shillong, India, in February this year.

In Rio, Hussain, who is based in Japan, will be looking forward to emulate his father Hussain Shah’s feats who had won the bronze medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.

It is the first time Pakistan’s national hockey team will not be featuring in the mega event.

Most of the other athletes, too, for the quadrennial sports spectacle got entry through wildcard or continental quota system.

Not even a single boxer could qualify for the Olympics although one of Pakistan’s two non-hockey medals came through boxer Hussain Shah's success.

The athletes to chip in the Olympics include swimmers Lianna Swan and Haris Bandey who are based abroad and shooters Ghulam Mustafa and Minhal Sohail and two sprinters.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) allows national Olympic committees of various countries with few or without any athletes to participate in the coveted sports events by offering wild cards to their athletes.

A player or a team that has not qualified through the normal competitive channel receives a wildcard entry. In Olympics too, wildcards are offered to countries, whose athletes fail to meet the qualification standards.

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.