Pakistan Olympic Association names 7 athletes set to compete at Paris Olympics 2024
The Pakistan Olympic Association has named an official contingent of the country consisting of seven athletes for the Paris Olympics 2024, slated to take place from July 26 to August 11, 2024, in France. It will mark Pakistan's 19th appearance at the Summer Olympics.
The seven athletes include four men and three women. After failing to qualify in other disciplines, including hockey and wrestling, among others, seven Pakistani athletes are now gearing up to prove their mettle in three events: shooting, athletics, and swimming. The total delegation count is 18, with 11 officials. The officials include a chef de mission, a deputy chef de mission, an admin officer, managers, and coaches.
The country's reputable javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem, who is undoubtedly Pakistan's only gold-medal hope, is at the helm of the athletes set to represent the country at the 2024 Summer Olympics. He is joined by the wildcard entry Faiqa Riaz, representing in the 100m race. The support staff of athletics includes Salman Iqbal Butt and Dr Ali Sher Bajwa.
It should be noted that both Jahanara and Arshad have also been named flagbearers from the country for the 2024 Summer Olympics Paris opening ceremony.
In the shooting team, well-known marksman Ghulam Mustafa Bashir will feature in the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol, while Gulfam Joseph and Kishmala Talat have been selected for the 10m Air Pistol and 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team. They will be supported by none other than Col. Junaid Ali and coach Gennady Solodovnikov.
Wildcard entries Mohammad Ahmed Durrani and Jahanara Nabi will feature in swimming in the 200m freestyle events while Lt Col (retired) Ahmed Ali Khan will manage them.
Mohammad Shafiq is the contingent's chef de mission, Javaid Shamshad Lodhi is the deputy chef de mission, and Zainab Shaukat is the admin officer.
Pakistan Contingent for the 2024 Summer Olympics
Athletics:
- Arshad Nadeem - Javelin thrower and gold-medal hopeful.
- Faiqa Riaz - Wildcard entry for the 100m race.
Salman Iqbal Butt and Dr. Ali Sher Bajwa - Support staff.
Swimming:
- Mohammad Ahmed Durrani - Wildcard entry for the 200m freestyle.
- Jehanara Nabi - Wildcard entry for the 200m freestyle.
Lt Col (retired) Ahmed Ali Khan - Support staff.
Shooting:
- Ghulam Mustafa Bashir - Competing in the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event.
- Gulfam Joseph - Competing in the 10m Air Pistol and 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team events.
- Kishmala Talat - Competing in the 10m Air Pistol, 25m Pistol, and 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team events.
Col Junaid Ali and Gennady Solodovnikov - Support staff.
Contingent Officials:
- Mohammad Shafiq - Chef de mission.
- Javaid Shamshad Lodhi - Deputy chef de mission.
- Zainab Shaukat - Admin officer.
The team will leave for Paris in batches from July 19 to July 24 to get enough rest and acclimatization for their events. Return arrangements from the 2024 Summer Olympics will also be made in batches after their respective competitions are over.