ISLAMABAD: A six-member Pakistan squad will depart for Bangkok on Wednesday to participate in the Thailand Open Intern­ational Boxing Tournament.

Previously known as the Kings Cup, the tournament will be held from July 18-28.

“Our four pugilists along with their coach and team manager will be leaving for the event,” Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) secretary Col. Nasir Tung told APP on Tuesday.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Qadir Khan (64kg) and Eidullah (49kg) will fly from Peshawar Airport, while Tanveer Ahmed (75kg) and Mohammad Said (81kg) of Pakistan Navy will leave from Karachi.

They will be accompanied by coach Liaquat Ali and manager Syed Kamal

Tung said that Pakistan boxers had undergone intensive training at camps in Peshawar and Karachi and were in good shape.

“We want to give maximum exposure to these boxers and their participation in the Kings Cup is part of our plan to prepare them for two Olympic qualifiers, taking place between March and May next year,” the secretary added.

“They have also the potential to claim medals in the Cup as they are going to feature in it on the basis of their outstanding performances at the national level.”

He said Tanveer and Qadir were also probable for the Tokyo Olympics and that was why the federation did not want to miss any chance that could help them earn a spot in world’s most coveted sports event.

“Besides these pugilists, we’ve Awais of Pakistan Army and Syed Muhammad Asif, who can also claim a spot in Tokyo Olympics Games. That is why we have decided to focus on our top performers ahead of these Games,” said Tung.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2019