Pakistani Team Withdraws From World Men’s Juniors from DailySquashReport.com
July 12, 2011-
Pakistan has withdrawn its men’s players from tomorrow’s
World Junior Championships in Herentals, Belgium, reportedly due to the
inability to obtain visas.
The affected Pakistani players are Danish Atlas Khan, Nasir Iqbal
and Salman Mohib. Khan and Iqbal, both 17-year-olds from
Peshawar, were
seeded in the 3/4 slots and considered threats to tournament
favorites Amr Khalid Khalifa and Marwan El Shorbagy of Egypt.
Khan is the reigning Asian Junior champion, with three PSA World Tour
titles to his credit, while Iqbal, a former Asian U15 champion, already
boasts two Tour titles.
One Pakistani team member told reporters that the players’ visa applications were rejected by Belgian officials.
The 64-player singles tournament draw has been revised to reflect the withdrawals.
The Pakistan junior team would have been coached in Belgium by 10-time
World Open champion Jansher Khan, who won Pakistan’s last World
Junior individual title in 1986.
An Egyptian player has won every World Men’s Juniors title since 2004.
"Whilst the realities of visa difficulties for players from some
countries are a regular obstacle, it is very sad for the players
concerned," commented WSF CEO Andrew Shelley.
"They have spent years building up to the pinnacle of their junior
career, and with Khan and Iqbal seeded in the top four, were poised to
medal for themselves and Pakistan. We feel for them."
The visa issue is the latest in a series of similar disputes that have plagued Pakistani players over the last decade.
Five Pakistani PSA players including top-20 ranked Mansoor Zaman were
reportedly denied visas for the 2002 World Open, also held in Belgium,
until the PSA became involved and the visas were issued a few days
before the event.
In 2005, three Pakistani players were reportedly denied Swiss visas for
a PSA event in Losone. Also in 2005, three players were forced to
withdraw from the Irish Open after they similarly failed to obtain
visas.
The 18th staging of the WSF Men's World Junior Individuals will take
place at the Flemish Squash Centre in Herentals from July 13-17.
Egypt's Amr Khaled Khalifa is set to become only third man in history
to win the title twice. The 18-year-old from Cairo is expected to face
Marwan El Shorbagy, the 17-year-old second seed from Alexandria, in an
all-Egyptian final.