Judo: Shah enters continental quota list for Tokyo Olympics, PJF seeks government support
Shah had finished 5th in the -100kg category at Abu Dhabi which helped him earn 360 points in the Judo Olympics Ranking.
October 29, 2019
Pakistani Judoka Shah Hussain Shah has grabbed a place in the list of Asia’s continental quota for Tokyo Olympics following his tremendous performance in the recently concluded Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Judo.
Shah had finished 5th in the -100kg category at Abu Dhabi which helped him earn 360 points in the Judo Olympics Ranking. The boost took him to the 42nd position with a total of 746 points in a two years’ cycle.
This puts him in line for the qualification on continental quota space in Tokyo Olympics but in order to confirm his place, Shah needs to maintain his position.
“Shah requires only maintaining this position till 20 May 2020 and for that he can’t afford to miss any event in this crucial race,” said Col Junaid Alam, secretary of Pakistan Judo Federation.
“He will be featuring in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and 6 more events in Europe to maintain his position,” he added.
Read more: Shah, Amina represent Pakistan in Abu Dhabi Grand Slam 2019
If Shah manages to maintain his current position then it will be his second consecutive qualification to the Olympics after having being qualified for Rio Olympics in 2016.
So far, only one Pakistani athlete, shooter Khalil Akhtar, has confirmed his place in the Tokyo Olympics.
Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) has expressed hope that Shah Hussian Shah — son of legendary boxer and Olympic medalist Hussain Shah — will manage to keep his run.
Secretary PJF Masood Ahmed has, however, stressed the need of government’s support to make sure that Shah doesn’t miss any future tournaments.
Read more: Pakistan Judoka Shah Hussain moves closer to Olympic qualification
“We have sent our proposal for his 2019 tournaments to government. We were promised of support but we haven’t received any penny from the government so far. If we get the funding on time we will be able to keep him progressed,” Masood told Geo.
“If he continues playing like this then he can directly qualify as well instead of continental quota; for that he needs to finish among top 18,” he highlighted.
The secretary PJF said that Shah’s qualification looks certain due to his current position in ranking, as once a player is at 57th position in Olympics qualification ranking, he’s qualified from Asia on continental quota.
