Pakistan to compete in 24 sports instead of 25 at Asian Games

• POA confirmed 262-athlete delegation for Asian Games.
• The delegation will include 137 male and 53 female athletes.
• Pakistan will be competing in 24 sports.

The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) has confirmed its delegation of 262 athletes and officials who will be participating in the upcoming Asian Games, set to take place in Hangzhou, China, starting on September 23, 2023.

Among this group, there are 137 male and 53 female athletes, accompanied by a total of 72 officials and support staff. However, Pakistan will be competing in 24 sports instead of the originally planned 25, as the E-sport team from the country has decided to withdraw from the competition.

pic.twitter.com/XRUhPBwIA7

— Pakistan Olympic Association (@NOCPakistan) September 2, 2023

An official from the POA informed the media that the E-sport team had communicated their decision to withdraw. Notably, they did not attribute financial reasons as the cause for their absence from this prestigious continental sporting event.

“They withdrew after one of their members expressed inability to join them for Asian Games and following to that, they were unable to play a full team there,” the official said.

Earlier, a 12-member E-sport team was selected to represent Pakistan at the Asian Games. However, a POA official has confirmed that 5 athletes and 2 officials from the Fencing team had to withdraw from the Asian Games due to sponsorship difficulties. Consequently, Pakistan will now have only one athlete, Mujadid Awan, competing in Fencing.

Najia Rasool, who was initially designated as the official for the Taekwondo squad, has also been withdrawn because the athlete Fatima tuz Zehra sustained an injury and can no longer participate in the Asian Games.

Several other individuals have been removed from the final squad list, including the gold medalist Yashal Shah, the Rowing official Rizwan ul Haq, the Swimming official Uzma Preto, and three Hockey coaches—Rehan Butt, Ayaz Mehmood, and Saqlain—who were excluded by the Pakistan Hockey Federation.

Previously, a provisional list comprising 280 athletes and officials, along with 14 additional contingent officials, was submitted to the Asian Games Organizing Committee for player accreditation.

The largest representation from Pakistan at the Asian Games will be in Cricket, with 39 players and officials named for both men’s and women’s competitions. Athletics will have the second-largest representation with 22 players and officials participating in various disciplines, followed by Hockey, which has named 21 members to represent Pakistan in the 2023 Asian Games.

In addition, Hamdan Nazir, the president of the Pakistan Rowing Federation and VP of Railways Sports Board, has been appointed as the chef de mission of Pakistan’s contingent by the POA, with Munir Ahmed serving as the deputy chef de mission.

The first group of Pakistani athletes, comprising individuals from Sailing and Volleyball, is scheduled to arrive in Hangzhou on September 15.

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