Why is Haroon Khan fighting for Pakistan?
Haroon Khan competed in the Commonwealth Games for Pakistan, despite the fact he was born in Bolton and his brother Amir Khan competed for Great Britain during the 2004 Athens Olympics and won a silver medal.
The younger Khan was overlooked by the England team for the games but has since gone on to defeat Wales and British team member Andrew Selby and win a bronze medal.
Khan qualifies for Pakistan through his father. He would have got into the England squad but was overlooked by team manager Rob McCracken who normally calls up Khalid Yafai in the flyweight class and believes him to be the best in the world.
Yafai was unavailable for this tournament with injury but Khan still didn’t get called up in his place.
On the reasons on why Khan was omitted from the England team Rob McCracken said: "You go on results in any sport and results are what gets you on to the GB squad.
"When you don't achieve things in domestic competition you can't get on to the elite level. You have to win things. You have to have an order of merit.
"For any boxer out there the door's always open, and it would have been open to Haroon Khan. He's only a youngster. It's early days for him."
Khan was notably very annoyed about not being called up to the England squad and he and his brother have both levelled insults at the British coach as a result of Khan’s lack of involvement in the
team through twitter.
Amir Khan said on his twitter: “All im going to say is rob McCracken picked the wrong 52kg fighter. Haroon proved it, you tell me who got a medal in the 52kg from GB, NO1”
In the end Khan lost 9-3 to local fighter Suranjoy Singh in a fight that he viewed as the ref being biased towards the hosts. He won a third-place medal as a result of this and will now be looking to compete for Pakistan in the Olympic Games in 2012.
It would be unlikely for Khan to defect back to a British team as a result of all the troubles and he will stay with Pakistan, who failed to attract his brother to fight for their nation six years ago.
McCracken is unlikely to be too bothered though, as 13 of his squad made it through for a chance to win a gold medal.
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