Saadi Abbas to train in Turkey before final Tokyo 2020 qualification tournament
Pakistan’s star Karateka, Saadi Abbas plans to undergo one-month training in Turkey before the final qualification event of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics which will be held in Paris in May.
Pakistan’s star Karateka, Saadi Abbas on Thursday said that his plan was to undergo one-month training under the supervision of a Turkish coach in Turkey before the final qualification event of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics which will be held in Paris in May.
“That’s the plan. After featuring in a handful of qualifying events I will try to manage a Turkey tour for myself for one month duration ahead of the last qualifying event in Paris in May. I plan to train in Turkey under a Turkish coach and will then move to Paris for the final event along with a Turkish coach."
Saadi has a solid chance of qualifying for this year’s Tokyo Olympics. He is training these days in Dubai. He joined a new club Kalba FC in the UAE recently.
The former Aisan champion, said that he had a good chance of making it to the Olympics.
“I have a good chance to qualify for Olympics,” said Saadi who recently won gold in the 13th South Asian Games in Nepal.
Saadi, also a US Open champion, will create history for Pakistan if he qualifies for the world’s most prestigious event.
He will also feature in a number of qualifying events in the next few months: the Karate-1 Premier League to be held this month in Paris; the Karate-1 Premier League in Dubai in February; the third qualifying event in Rabat in March; the Premier League in Spain in April; and the final qualifying event in Paris in May.
If he can secure qualification for the games, he will join five Pakistani players who have qualified for Tokyo 2020: shooters Gulfam Joseph, Ghulam Mustafa Bashir and Khalil Akhtar, javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem and equestrian Usman Khan.
National boxers are yet to compete in the qualifying events.
Olympian judoka Shah Hussain Shah is also set to qualify for Olympics as he holds the top spot in Asia and if he maintains his current ranking which is 42 he may easily qualify for Olympics through continental quota.
