Eight boys and eight girls will attend the national badminton camp for the South Asian Games, which will be held at the Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad after Eid. —APP/File photo

ISLAMABAD Pakistan's newly-appointed badminton coach Raziuddin aims to break the country's badminton gold medal jinx at the South Asian Games.

'By no means, is it easy to end the virtual Indian monopoly in badminton at the South Asian Games but we aim to bag at least two golds in these Games,' Razi told APP on Monday.

The 11th South Asian Games are scheduled to be held in Bangladesh early next year.

Pakistan secured bronze medals in men's and women's team events in the 10th South Asian Games in Sri Lanka three years ago.

'Pakistan has never beaten India in these Games but we are hoping to change that this time around,' said the coach.

Razi believes that national shuttlers Wajid Ali Chaudhary, Ahsan Qamar and Zeeshan Umer among the boys and Sara Khan, Palwisha Bashir and Ayesha Akram among the girls are quality players and are capable of achieving this feat.

Eight boys and eight girls will attend the national badminton camp for the South Asian Games, which will be held at the Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad after Eid.

'The Pakistan Badminton Federation is exploring the possibility of a foreign tour for the selected squad, probably to Iran or Jordan, before they turn up at Dhaka for the Games,' he added.

The training camp will be held from the last week of September until the departure of the team for Bangladesh.

Players invited to attend the national camp are Ahsan Qamar, Wajid Ali, Umer Zeeshan, Aashir Bashir, Rizwan Azam, Kashif Suleri, Waqas Ahmed and Muhammad Atiq, Palwisha Bashir, Sarah Khan, Sarah Mohmand, Ayesha Akram, Farzana Salim, Aniqa Rana, Sidra and Saadia Arshad.