ISLAMABAD: A 10-member Pakistan cycling team will feature in the Asian Road Cycling Championship, set to be held in Thailand next month, Pakistan Cycling Federation (PCF) said on Monday.
“The training camp for preparation of our cyclists for the Championship has commenced today (Monday) in Karachi in collaboration with Pakistan Sports Board. The camp will continue till the end of the first week of June,” Syed Azhar Ali Shah, the president of PCF, said.
The 42nd edition of the big-ticket event will be held along with the 29th Asian Junior Road Cycling Championships and 11th Asian Para Road Cycling Championships.
“A total of 15 cyclists are attending the camp. They were selected purely on merit, especially based on their performance in the National Road Championship held in Peshawar in February,” he said.
Cyclists prepare for Paris Games
Azhar said that the federation wanted to send all the 15 cyclists for the continental event but due to scarcity of funds, it believed it would hardly manage to field six men and four women cyclists in that. “Participation of our athletes is essential for the championship as it also serves as qualifiers for the next year’s Paris Olympics,” he said.
The Paris Games will run from July 26 to August 11, 2024, featuring 32 sports disciplines across 37 sites.
“The federation, on its part is trying its best to give maximum exposure to the cyclists but the road to the Olympics is not easy. The athletes must undergo at least two to three years of training besides chipping in qualification rounds to earn a ticket for the prestigious event. We are not in a position for that as we don’t have sufficient funds. However, we are doing what we can in our limited resources,” he added.
