ISLAMABAD: Seven Pakistan athletes including a female have left for Iran to attend the International Khyrougi Taekwondo Training Camp, the Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF) announced on Thursday.

According to the PTF, Haraoon Khan, Shahzaib, Mohammad Iqbal, Hamza Omar Saeed, Abubakar Usman, Arsalan Arshad and Zoya Sabir have left for Iran for two-week training.

Pakistan will participate in the 25th Asian Championship slated to be held in Chuncheon, South Korea from June 24-27 before featuring in the Chuncheon Korea Open slated for June 29-30.

Iranian coach Yousef Karami, who supervised a national camp in Pakistan as the head coach (khyrougi), is accompanying the team to Iran where he will train these players besides arranging their fights with their Iranian counterparts.

Assistant coach Shahzada Mohammad Asif and female coach Najia Rasool is also with the team.

Meanwhile, PTF president retired Lt Col Raja Wasim Ahmed told Dawn that Pakistan athletes’ participation in the International Khyrougi Taekwondo training camp would help them ahead of the two international events.

According to Raja, the taekwondo squad left for Iran from Islamabad on Tuesday and was proceeding to Quetta on Thursday night, adding they will travel by road to Zahedan from where they would fly out to Tehran.

The squad would return to Pakistan on June 6, the official added.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2022