Lahore, Pakistan, May 31, 2021: Lt. Gen (retd.) Syed Arif Hasan, President of the Pakistan Olympic Association, has nominated POA Vice President Zaheer Akhtar as Chef de Mission of the Pakistan contingent for the Tokyo Olympics.
Under the auspices of the POA President, the first meeting of the Pakistan contingent for the July 23- August 8 Tokyo Games was held at POA Olympic House on Saturday, May 29.
All national sports federations, officials and coaches involved in the Olympics were briefed by Chef de Mission Zaheer Akhtar. The meeting also discussed preparation, training and travel plans of athletes and team officials from each participating sport, with emphasis placed on COVID-19 countermeasures.
President Syed Hasan stressed the importance of compliance to COVID-19 countermeasures for the safe and secure journey of the Olympic-bound contingent.
The Pakistan Olympic Association has completed the online accreditation process for qualified athletes and coaches in athletics, equestrian and shooting.
South Asian Games gold medallist Arshad Nadeem will take part in men’s javelin while three shooters have won berths – Muhammad Khalil Akhtar and Ghulam Mustafa Bashir in the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol and Gulfam Joseph in the men’s 10m air pistol.
Equestrian eventer Usman Khan will need to re-qualify after the horse he qualified with, Azad Kashmir, died last September. He will have to do it before June 21 according to International Equestrian Federation rules.
The POA has also completed accreditation for athletes in badminton, judo, gymnastics, karate, taekwondo, weightlifting and wrestling in the hope that they will either qualify or receive an invitation from the IOC’s Tripartite Commission.
Measures are also being taken to vaccinate all athletes and officials bound for the Tokyo Olympics with many already receiving their second booster shots. The POA will ensure that the entire Pakistan contingent is fully vaccinated before traveling to Japan.
