ISLAMABAD: A comprehensive national Taekwondo training camp to prepare a team for the upcoming 4th Combaxx Asian Open International Taekwondo Championship is in full swing at the Liaquat Gymnasium of the Pakistan Sports Board here.   

Pakistan Head Coach Yousef Karami of Iran, who is also a three-time taekwondo (khyurogi) World Champion and a two-time World Cup and Asian Games gold medallist, is training the national taekwondo team for the mega event scheduled to be played in Islamabad from November 1-4. Head Coach Yousef, who has been associated with the Pakistan national taekwondo team for the past six months, said he is impressed by the hard work and immense talent of camp participants. Also a former Olympic Games bronze medalist, Yousef was all praise for the rich taekwondo talent in Pakistan.

“There is tremendous talent and potential for all the sports as well as taekwondo in this nation of 229 million,” said Yousef. “What is needed is a well-devised plan to groom the raw talent and polish it to prepare a top class national outfit.” Talking to the media persons, the former Iranian champion noticed that in Pakistan cricket and squash are more popular as compared to taekwondo.

“That’s why we need to reach out to our youth by holding many taekwondo competitions at the grass root level and provide them opportunities so that we can identify new talent and enhance their abilities to prepare a good team for the future,” he added. “I believe that through collective efforts, with everybody working together and making joint efforts, we can achieve that goal,” said Yousef. “We have a good team but the level can still get better. I am confident that if we have a good plan, lots of good competitions and tournaments, we can further improve the standard of taekwondo players because people in Pakistan have good genetics, are strongly built, and are quite agile.” Yousef added: “I hope we can attain the goal as I believe in the players here. They are very capable but they need more confidence and motivation to excel.” Yousef paid special compliments to PTF President Col. Waseem Janjua and CEO Omar Saeed and lauded them for providing him tremendous services in establishing the game of taekwondo and for making sincere and untiring efforts for the game to flourish so that Pakistan is consistently seen at the victory podium.

It may be recalled here that the khyurogi coach Yousef Karami also accompanied the national team to Islamic Games in Iran as well as in the 3rd Mount Everest Open C’ship in Nepal. In Nepal, the Pakistan  grabbed a good number of gold, silver, and bronze medals.  

Published in The Daily National Courier, October, 27 2022

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