LAHORE: The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) has finalized a delegation consisting of 262 athletes and officials for the upcoming Asian Games, which are scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, China, commencing from September 23, 2023.
Within this contingent, there are 137 male athletes, 53 female athletes, and a total of 72 team and delegation officials. However, Pakistan’s participation will be in 24 sports instead of the initially planned 25, as the country’s E-sport team has withdrawn from the competition.
An official from the POA confirmed to Geo News that the E-sport team decided to withdraw. Interestingly, their withdrawal was not linked to financial constraints. Instead, it resulted from one of their members being unable to join the team for the Asian Games, which subsequently rendered them incapable of forming a complete team.
Initially, a 12-member E-sport squad was designated to represent Pakistan in the Asian Games. However, with their withdrawal, Pakistan’s representation in Fencing has also been impacted. Five athletes and two officials from the Fencing team withdrew due to sponsorship difficulties. Consequently, Pakistan will now have only one athlete, Mujadid Awan, participating in Fencing.
Furthermore, Najia Rasool, who was initially selected as an official for the Taekwondo squad, has been removed from the roster after the athlete Fatima tuz Zehra suffered an injury that ruled her out of the Asian Games.
Additionally, several other individuals have been withdrawn from the final squad list. These include Gold player Yashal Shah, Rowing official Rizwan ul Haq, Swimming official Uzma Preto, and three Hockey coaches: Rehan Butt, Ayaz Mehmood, and Saqlain. These removals were made by the Pakistan Hockey Federation.
Initially, a provisional list of 280 athletes and officials, along with 14 other delegation officials, was submitted to the Asian Games Organizing Committee for accreditation.
Notably, the largest representation from Pakistan in the Asian Games will be in Cricket, with 39 players and officials participating in both men’s and women’s competitions. Athletics follows closely with 22 players and officials representing Pakistan in various disciplines, while Hockey has nominated 21 members to compete in the Asian Games 2023.
The POA has also appointed Hamdan Nazir, the president of the Pakistan Rowing Federation and vice president of the Railways Sports Board, as the chef de mission of Pakistan’s contingent. Munir Ahmed has been named deputy chef de mission.
The first batch of Pakistani athletes, comprising participants from Sailing and Volleyball, is scheduled to arrive in Hangzhou on September 15th.
