Corona virus: deserted arena, training affected, players frustrated

Corona virus: deserted arena, training affected, players frustrated

When Pakistani athletes returned home with shining gold medals at the South Asian Games in Nepal in December last year, they dreamed of participating in the Olympics, hoping to prepare for the competition, but no one cared. Little did they know that they would be confined to closed rooms instead of training in the open air.

Sports competitions around the world have been canceled or postponed due to the corona virus and like any other country, Pakistani players are waiting for the situation to return to normal but at the moment their training is definitely being affected.

' Julien is now in the room '

The South Asian Games were memorable for athlete Arshad Nadeem in that he not only won a gold medal in the javelin throw, but also qualified for the Tokyo Olympics by throwing a distance of 86.29 meters. In the current situation, they are unable to train in the field.

Speaking to BBC Urdu, Arshad Nadeem said that he was currently in his village near Mian Channu as the training camp in Lahore had to be canceled due to corona virus.

He now does physical training at home and runs outside in the primary school field, but cannot throw a javelin.

Arshad Nadeem says that his javelin is lying in the room and he is waiting for the time when he can start his training regularly when things return to normal.

Image copyrightARSHAD NADEEM

Image captionArshad Nadeem says it is disappointing that the Olympics have been postponed for a year but no one is satisfied with the current situation

Keeping fit in the current situation is no less of a challenge as the training is being conducted in a limited manner and the training camp is not possible at home. However, he instructed his coach Rashid Ahmed Saqi and WAPDA coach Fayyaz Hussain Bukhari. Trying to keep fit in the light.

Arshad Nadeem said that Major General (retd) Akram Sahi, President Pakistan Athletics Federation, had sent five athletes including him to China to prepare for the Olympics.

He had been training there for a few days when he was told that the corona virus was spreading in China, so he had to return home.

Arshad Nadeem, who has improved his own national record in the javelin throw six times, says the postponement of the Olympics for a year is disappointing but no one is satisfied with the current situation.

Now they have more time for the Olympics and will have to train harder than before so that they can be fully prepared to compete next year.

'I tell niece to train with me'

Karachi's Kulsoom Hazara and Shahida Abbasi have also won gold medals at the South Asian Games, but like other athletes, they have been forced to train at home due to lockdowns.

Kulsoom Hazara, who won three gold medals at the South Asian Games, lives in Karachi.

Image copyrightKALSOOM HAZARA

Image captionKulsoom Hazara, who won three gold medals at the South Asian Games, lives in Karachi.

She says the current situation has affected her training a lot because under normal circumstances she used to go to the gym in the morning and at night she used to go to the club to train but now she is forced to stay at home.

Kulsoom Hazara says that he has to do some training at home to keep himself fit but he cannot compare it with club training because the house does not have complete equipment. Other national level players are also training with you in the club and you practice with them.

Kulsoom Hazara says she needs a competitor to train at home. For this, he has put his family in a very difficult situation and he has to ask his niece to help him.

Sometimes her niece says that her aunt has annoyed us in Ramadan but later she happily helps her.

Shahida Abbasi won her first gold medal for Pakistan at the South Asian Games in December. In the current situation, he is also forced to stay at his home in Quetta for limited training.

Image copyrightSHAHIDA ABBASI

Image captionShahida Abbasi wins Pakistan's first gold medal at the South Asian Games in December

Shahida Abbasi says that after coming from Nepal, she was preparing for the Olympic qualifying round to be held in Paris. Besides, there was also the Asian Karate Championship. Both these events have been postponed. His training has also been affected by the current situation.

Shahida Abbasi says that you cannot train at home in a way that can be done in a complete club or training center because you do not have complete training facilities at home.

Shahida Abbasi says that daily training in martial arts is very important and if you do not train even for a day, your level goes down.

' Arenas are deserted '

Wrestler Inam Butt, who has performed exceptionally well at the international level, says that all sports activities in Punjab are currently suspended in the light of the directives of the federal and provincial governments and that is why it has a direct impact on his sport. Has also fallen on.

Image copyrightINAM BUTT

Image captionInam Butt hails from Gujranwala, the city of wrestlers, and says all arenas in Gujranwala are currently closed due to the lockdown.

Inam Butt hails from the wrestling city of Gujranwala. He says all the arenas in Gujranwala are currently closed due to the lockdown. They are locked and they present a scene of desolation, including their own arena in which about a hundred wrestlers train.

Inam Butt says he is very disappointed with the current situation as he has been working hard to prepare for international competitions, most notably Olympic qualifying.

A match was scheduled to take place in China, which was moved to Kyrgyzstan, but was canceled. A match that was supposed to take place in Bulgaria did not take place. He also had to take part in the World Wrestling Series, of which the event in Portugal has been canceled and the events in Romania and Greece do not appear to be in the current situation. The Asian Beach Games in China in November are also in question.

Inam Butt says that it is very painful for any player to get away from his game and be locked up at home which he and other players are facing at the moment. He himself is currently training at home to a limited extent.

"No matter how much you train at home, in wrestling you can only train with your partner. This is a body contact game. Besides, you need full weight training. You have to run. Anyone who has a trade at home can run on it, but not everyone.

Inam Butt says that as long as the player does not play, he cannot get into rhythm.

"International players from other countries have training facilities at home. Unfortunately, we do not have such facilities. Obviously, it will affect our players, but human life is the most important thing at the moment and sports is not the first priority.