Pak cueists confident of good show in Asian c’ship

Deepankar Sharda

Chandigarh, April 10

“Getting the Indian visa was the toughest task,” said Naveed Kapadia, manager of the Pakistan team. The Pakistan team is in Chandigarh to participate in the U21 Asian Snooker Championship. The team was given a seven-day visa instead of the 10 days it had applied for. “We had applied for a 10-day visa but got a visa for seven days. That is why we came two days late for the championship,” said Kapadia.

“To avoid hassles, we came by road via the Wagah border. Our visas are limited to Chandigarh,” he added.

The Pakistan team comprises Mohameed Rafiq, 14, Mohammad Naseem Akhtar, 16, and Haris Tahir, 17.

“All three are champions of their categories. They play at club level and get great help from the seniors,” added Kapadia.

While saying that the game was popular in Pakistan, the youngsters added that it needed to get attract the attention of the corporate world. “The sport is commercial in our country. However, the prize money is not as big as compared with other countries. And there are no jobs. As the sport is not part of the Olympics, it has failed to get the attention of the government,” said Rafiq.

Notably, all three got attracted to the sport after looking at their elder brothers, who are also professionals and play for local clubs. 

Kapadia added that the Pakistan players would be a force to reckon with at in the ongoing championship.

“We have a good culture in terms of tournaments. We have almost 10 to 12 tournaments a year. So, the players have enough exposure. The boys are confident and will surely win their matches,” added Kapadia.