Mahoor Shahzad hopes to fire on all cylinders in Tokyo Olympics

Mahoor Shahzad is days away from being the first Pakistani badminton player to feature in the Olympics.

The 24-year-old Karachi-based player has got entry into this month’s Tokyo Games on the basis of the IOC Tripartite Commission places.

Ranked 121st in the world as per June 15, 2021, world rankings, Mahoor sees the Olympics as a great opportunity to learn.

“Yes, the Olympics are the world’s greatest event with players of top quality and it will help me learn,” Mahoor told The News in an interview on Saturday.

“The experience which I gain there will help me a lot and I will upon return start working on my weaknesses and prepare myself for other major events in time to come. I will also try in future to further improve my world rankings,” Mahoor said.

Despite the tough standard of the Olympics, Mahoor is determined to put in her best. “There is the possibility that I will have to face the world’s top player in my first match. I will try to do my best,” said Mahoor, a five times national champion.

And she feels pressure also ahead of the Tokyo tour. “Yes, pressure is definitely there. People expect from me that I should give my best and I am working very hard to live up to the expectations,” Mahoor said.

Having a healthy financial background, Mahoor has been able to keep herself busy, featuring in international events despite lack of any financial assistance from any other cordon.

She feels that badminton is not backed by the corporate sector. “I think mostly the corporate sector is going after cricket. They should support badminton too. We can also grow if properly backed,” Mahoor said.

“Pakistan Badminton Federation (PBF) sends our entries for international events and also wants to financially back us but the issue is of funding. If the state funds the federation then it will help us and we will then get more events and that is the only way to boost our rankings,” Mahoor said.

Lack of infrastructure has been a huge impediment in the way of badminton’s promotion in the country. . “Infrastructure is not sufficient. If you see even in Karachi, which is the biggest city, we have facilities only at the PSB Coaching Centre and in Nazimabad. There is a need for more facilities so that players can easily go there and train properly,” Mahoor said.

She also stressed the need for an international standard badminton academy. “We don’t have any academy. If we establish an international level badminton academy it will help the players to plan and work with quality coaches,” Mahoor said.

Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) the other day in a press release said that it had created a biosecure bubble for the Tokyo-bound players at the Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad but Mahoor said she did not know about it. 

“I have not been informed by my federation. When it informs me I will go to Islamabad,” Mahoor said.

She will depart for Tokyo on July 16. The badminton event will be held from July 24 to August 2.

Athlete Najma Parveen is the other female player in the Pakistani contingent. She will participate in Tokyo Games on the basis of a wild card.

The others to compete at the Games are Japan-based judoka Shah Hussain, shooters Ghulam Mustafa Bashir, Gulfam Joseph and Khalil Akhtar, javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem, weightlifter Talha Talib and swimmers Bisma Khan and Haseeb Tariq.

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