BETTOR.COM EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Asim Qureshi, Former National Table Tennis Champion
Pakistan Table Tennis Federation (PTTF) has been facing a lot of funding problems since the last decade. This issue has directly made a negative impact on players and has de-motivated their sprits, to show quality performances on the broader playing circuit.
Table tennis is considered amongst the minor sports, in Pakistan. Pakistan’s table tennis squad is going to participate in the World Table Tennis Championship after five years. Even this time, the team is being sponsored by Pakistan International Airlines
(PIA). Asim Qureshi is one of those players who have been the victim of Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and PTTF’s negligence.
Asim will be leaving for Rotterdam tonight, along with three more players to represent the country at the event. Current Pakistan Number one, Ali Faisal, will be joining the squad from Germany. The 45-year-old veteran seems quite disappointed on the Federation’s
careless attitude, towards their players.
Asim is the most successful player from Pakistan on the international table tennis circuit. He has also appeared on the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Men's ranking.
Bettor.com caught up with Asim Qureshi for an exclusive interview.
You participated in the National Championships in 2011; can you give a little insight about it?
I lost in the semi-finals of the championship and could not perform well this time. I lost to Ali Faisal, who was really in a good form. There are new faces on the Pakistani table tennis circuit, which have the potential to excel. I saw a new ray of hope
emerging in juniors, at the championship.
Can you give a background of yourself and the honours you have received thus far?
I was born in Lahore and completed my graduation from Government College University (GCU). I started to play table tennis at the age of five. I have won the national championship twice. Also, I have won five silver medals at South Asian Federation (SAF)
games in team and singles events. I have represented Pakistan at the Commonwealth games also.
Who was your inspiration and why did you take Table Tennis as a profession?
My inspiration has always been the great Swedish player of all time, Jan-Ove-Waldner. I was offered a position by Allied Bank Limited (ABL), when I started my professional career. I got a good offer and other incentives from the bank, so I decided to pursue
my career in the sport.
What difficulties have you faced in playing table tennis in a country such as Pakistan?
A few years back, the bank I was associated with dissolved their team and I faced a very crucial time. I had no job and support from the federation. Later on, I got an offer from WAPDA and now I play for their team. In our country, there is no proper system
to develop the quality of sports and players. We generally participate on the international circuit on our own expenditures. Even this time, there is no financial support from the federation to represent Pakistan at the World Championship. The team is being
sponsored by PIA for travelling expenditures. The rest of the sponsorship is been offered by Slazenger and SA Enterprises, Pakistan.
Are you satisfied with the quality of players/facilities/coaches in Pakistan?
In Pakistan, we have no facilities to develop new players. We have a lot of talent, but we do not have a proper support line to give facilities to the new generation. We do get foreign coaches from Korea and China, but only once in a blue moon. There is
no proper system of coaching in the country and there are no playing venues, also. Even for the up-coming mega event, we were not provided with proper coaches and we did our training on our own. I am not blaming the federation as they too are helpless, because
they do not have enough resources to facilitate players.
What are you expectations from the upcoming Championship?
We all are aware of where we are standing on the international circuit. Our neighbouring country, China, spends an unlimited budget to develop their players. Their efforts are rewarded, as they have dominated the sport for a long period now. I am not expecting
much and just focussing on performing well. The best I can hope for is to make a place in the main draws.
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