22-Dec-2011
The News
KARACHI: Financial constraints have forced the organisers of second edition of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto International Boxing tournament to shift boxers from Marriot Hotel to the Fatima Jinnah Hostel at the Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad.
“I think the Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) has not received any financial assistance so far and that is why they have been compelled to shift the boxers from Marriot Hotel to the hostel,” a well-placed source told The News on Wednesday, requesting anonymity. “I don’t know exactly how many boxers are still in the hotel, but by Tuesday most of the boxers had been shifted to the hostel.”
A top official of the PBF refused to admit such a development. He was though quick to add that in order to minimise security risk such an option is under consideration. “If security clearance for the route from hotel to the venue and from venue to the hotel is not given, then we cannot take risk for moving around 200 participants from hotel to the venue. We are going to make arrangements at the Fatima Jinnah Hostel and if there is any need of shifting the boxers from hotel to the PSB Complex we will shift them with ease,” the PBF official said. The PBF officials say that around Rs60 million will be spent on the event the opening ceremony of which is to be held on Thursday (today).
Sources in the PSB told this correspondent that so far no special grant for the event has been approved by the government. They said that a cheque of Rs30 million which was released to the PBF a few months back was for the preparations of the Olympic qualifiers and not for this tournament.
Boxers from Cameroon and Central Africa were scheduled to land in Islamabad on Wednesday night. A 12-member Indian squad will miss the opening ceremony on Thursday (today) as they will reach Wagah border in the evening.
The other day, a top official of the PBF told The News in an interview that around 22 to 26 countries would take part in the event. But another senior official of the PBF said on Wednesday that boxers from 16 countries were to show their worth in the competition. “I am going to give you correct information. So far pugilists from Kenya, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Syria, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Ghana, Central Africa, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Uzbekistan have reached the federal capital. A 12-member Indian squad is scheduled to reach tomorrow,” the official said.
A PBF official claimed that technical officials from Malaysia, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Taiwan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan and Jordon inspected the venue on Wednesday and expressed their satisfaction over the arrangements. The fights will start from Friday (tomorrow). |
