Following a high-level intervention by the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and the Prime Minister, Pakistan’s boxing team finally arrived in Bahrain on Tuesday to compete in the Asian Youth Games.
The team faced a serious administrative hurdle as their departure was delayed by a full day because the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) failed to issue the required No Objection Certificate (NOC) on time. They were scheduled to arrive on Monday, and the delay forced the federation to rebook the coach’s ticket.
Nasir Tang, President of the Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF), stated that the PSB showed an “extremely harsh attitude” and that its “stubbornness” caused the boxers to be “very disappointed,” as they lost a valuable day of practice.
The crisis was resolved after the PBF contacted POA President Arif Saeed, who relayed the message to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif then took a “personal interest” to ensure the team’s departure. Pakistani boxers Huzaifa (50kg) and Jiad Hussain (57kg) will represent the country at the event.
