PJF To Field Shah In Six Int'l Events Before Year End To Earn Olympic Spot

Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) has planned a series of events for judoka Shah Hussain Shah in next three months, enabling him to add important ranking points for his Tokyo 2020 qualifying race

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Sep, 2019 ) :Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) has planned a series of events for judoka Shah Hussain Shah in next three months, enabling him to add important ranking points for his Tokyo 2020 qualifying race.

"He is our only Olympic hope. It is very important for him to better his ranking. Hence, we are planning to field him in six international events before the end of ongoing year," PJF vice president Masood Ahmed told APP on Wednesday.

He said PJF President Colonel Junaid Alam had written a letter to Pakistan sports Board (PSB) a few days back, seeking its help to send Shah for the international events. "The PJF president had highlighted that Shah has the potential to earn a spot in Olympics provided he features in international events to improve his ranking. He told the board that unavailability of funds was the main hindrance in PJF plans.

"We received a positive answer from the PSB as it asked us to provide the details of different events. We've communicated these (details) to it. We are sure we'll get the required support to materialize our plans for Shah," he added.

The judo Olympic qualifying period, which commenced on May 25, last year would end on May 25, next year. Various international judo events contribute towards accumulation of ranking points and top athletes will be selected in May 2020.

Masood said the federation would send Shah to Brasilia Grand Slam, taking place in Brazil from October 4 to 9, Grand Slam UAE, to be held from October 23 to 28, Oceania Open, taking place in in Australia from November 2 to 6, Japan Grand Slam from November 21 to 25, Asian Open, scheduled to be held in Hong Kong from November 29 to December 2 and Qingdao Open from December 11 to 15 in China.

Shah, who competes in -100kg category has been performing well in various international events as he earned twice Asian bronze and thrice fifth place in annual Asian Senior Championship/Asian Games, silver in Commonwealth Games. He is also South Asian champion since 2014. He narrowly missed the bronze-medal fight at the Asia-Pacific Senior Championship in May, this year. He lost his pre quarterfinal fixture in a well-fought contest in the World Judo Championships in Japan in August. However, his ranking has improved 26 places up to 73rd. In the Olympic rankings he rose up from 94th to 57th position.

According to Masood as per International Judo Federation rules if a judoka gets 54th Olympic ranking position he would be able to earn a spot for prestigious event on continental quota. "Shah is just three points behind that target. We are sure he will reach to that level in the very first event he will feature. However, he will have to maintain that position till the end of Olympic qualifiers. Hence, his participation in different events is imperative," he said.

The PJF vice president said that Shah had also the capablity to directly qualify for Olympics but for that he needed to be at number 18 on ranking list. "If he appears in all qualifying events, I'm sure he will not need continental quota as he will make a direct entry to the Olympics," he added.

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