Pakistan withdraws badminton team from CWG 2022; Mahoor Shahzad express disappointment

In an unexpected turn of events, the Pakistan Sports Board has decided to withdraw the country's badminton squad from the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. The board of directors expects that its shuttlers will fail to win any medals at the upcoming tournament.

Pakistan had earlier announced a four-member badminton squad for the CWG 2022, including Tokyo Olympian Mahoor Shahzad, Ghazala Siddique, Murad Ali, and Irfan Saeed. The decision means they will not board the flight to the United Kingdom.

According to Wajid Ali, head of the Pakistan Badminton Federation, the Badminton contingent was called to a training camp in Lahore and even given visas for the United Kingdom. According to local media, Ali revealed that the players and their coach had completed a 15-day training camp in Lahore in preparation for the Games and were ready to go for Birmingham.

"PSB observed the training sessions of the players and came to a conclusion that players do not stand any chance to win a medal," Ali said as quoted by Sports Tiger.

According to sources, the Pakistan Badminton Federation has now requested that the PSB reconsider the decision and allow players to compete in the Games. In response to the news, Olympian Mahoor Shahzad expressed her unhappiness, calling PSB's decision "quite unfair."

"With utmost anguish I have to inform you all that Pakistan Badminton Team selected for Commonwealth Games 2022 has been dropped by Pakistan Sports Board (PSB). It’s quite unfair on the part of PSB to isolate the only sport at the very last moment when everything was finalised," she tweeted.

Here is Mahoor Shahzad's tweet

With utmost anguish I have to inform you all that Pakistan Badminton Team selected for Commonwealth Games 2022 has been dropped by Pakistan Sports Board (PSB).

It’s quite unfair on the part of PSB to isolate the only sport at the very last moment when everything was finalised. pic.twitter.com/07B3U834Yj

— Mahoor Shahzad (@OfficialMahoor) July 8, 2022

PSB director general retired Col Asif Zaman verified the news, informing local media that the finalised list has been sent to the Pakistan Olympic Association for the CWG. He also stated that it was up to the Olympic Association to decide whether or not to include the Badminton team in the contingent. He also emphasised that if they do, they would be responsible for the costs.

"We will finance the finalized contingent. Now, it is up to the Pakistan Olympic Association if they want to add to it (Badminton Squad), they can but they will bear the expenses," he told reporters.