KARACHI, Feb 10: Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) on Tuesday announced names of 10 pugilists for the five weeks training camp at Kazakhstan to prepare for the forthcoming South Asian Federation (SAF) Games.

The team will proceed to Kazakhstan on Wednesday for a five weeks training programme for 9th SAF Games scheduled to be held from March 29 at Islamabad.

According to PBF chief Anwar Chowdhry the boxers were selected by Cuban coach Renaldo Alvaris. In a bid to train the boys timely and adequately PBF have arranged the tour for the boys of the country where boxing was a prime sport, he said.

He told that the team would return on March 14 and six out of the ten boxers would head to China to compete in the second Olympics Qualifiers starting from March 19.

The remaining boxers including Nauman Karim and Asghar Ali Shah who have already qualified for the Athens Olympics will go to Islamabad on March 18 to join the SAF Games training camp.

The six boxers after returning from China on March 23 will go to Islamabad to join the SAF camp. Cuban coach after the conclusion of SAF Games camp will select a final Pakistan team for the mega event.

Pakistan squad heading for Kazakhstan is as follows: Nauman Karim 48 kg, Shoaib Rasheed 51 kg, Mehrullah Lasi 54 kg, Sohail Baloch 57 kg, Asghar Ali Shah 60 kg, Mohammed Arif 64 kg, Nisar Khan 69 kg, Ahmed Ali 75 kg, Shoukat Ali Chatta 91 kg and Muzaffar Iqbal 91+kg while Jan Mohammed and Faisdal Karim are kept as reserved boxers. Cuban coach and manager Zaigham Maseel will accompany the team to Kazakhstan. -PPI