“It is very difficult to practice here and it is also very dangerous for our boxers to play here in the slippery conditions. We work so hard on our boxers, spend so much time on them and if they get injured by something so unrelated to boxing then it would be highly frustrating for the boxer and for the training staff,” Hernandez said.
He further said that the people responsible for the smooth running of such affairs were incompetent and were causing a huge wastage of money through their actions.
“I told the federation I won't practice in this wet place. But that is not the way out. Our pugilists need continuous training and any gap would not serve our purpose for the mega international events that are coming up,” he added.
Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) secretary Akram Khan said that they have told PSB Centre officials about the problem but they haven't deputed any staff for removing the water from the area.
Chairman National Assembly's Standing Committee on Sports Iqbal Mohammad Ali Khan also criticized officials of PSB Karachi Centre for their negligence.
“It is their duty to look after the center properly, especially when a national training camp is underway. The government spends so much money on national camps but due to negligence of a few people funds and efforts of others get wasted,” he said.
He added that if players are not provided with proper infrastructure then it is unjust to expect medals from them.
“Yesterday, when I visited the camp, it was submerged in the rain water while water was also dripping from the ceilings. It was a shame that the boys were practicing in such conditions. This is not fair with the players. We criticize them when they fail to win medals but we don't even care to know what the reasons behind their failure were. I feel these problems are the main factors which differentiate our players from their international counterparts,” said the annoyed chairman. -PPI
