Pakistan contingent off to Sydney with hopes in hockey, boxing

KARACHI, SEPT 4: Pakistan’s Olympic contingent left for Syndey on Monday with strong hopes to win medals in boxing and field hockey, officials said. The batch includes four boxers, two athletes, three rowers and a shooter with 11 officials. The hockey squad, comprising 16 players and four officials, was already in New Zealand where it won a four-match series last week. The Pakistani team will also play warm up matches against Australia before the summer games start in Sydney from September 15, officials said.

"The athletes have trained to their best and we hope that the hockey team and boxers return with medals," Mohammad Latif Butt, secretary, Pakistan Olympic Association said. He said swimmer Salman Kamal Masood will directly fly from the United States to Australia. Masood, trained in the US, and has performed well at a regional level. Pakistani Chef de mission Air Marshal Zahid Aziz will leave next week.

Pakistan has won 10 Olympic medals, eight in field hockey since its first appearance in the 1948 London Olympics. Pakistan won gold medals in Rome 1960, Mexico 1968, and Los Angeles in 1984 and has bagged two silver and two bronze medals in field hockey. Pakistani wrestler Mohammad Bashir won a bronze in the 1960 Olympics while boxer Hussian Shah also won a bronze in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Squad: Boxers: Asgher Ali Shah (lightweight), Haider Ali (featherweight), Ghulam Shabbir (light welterweight) and Usmanullah (welterweight) and two officials Athletes: Maqsood Hussain and Shazia Hadayat and one official. Rowers: Mohammad Akram, Hazrat Islam and Zahid Ali Peerzada and three officials Shooter: Khurrum Inam and one official. Chef de mission: Air Marshal Zahid Aziz. Other officials: Brigadier Saulat Abbas Mirza, Abdul Khaliq Khan and Dr. Meesaq Rizvi str/sz/lh