KARACHI (Kashmir English): Pakistan has finalised an 11-member shooting squad, comprising eight shooters and three officials, for the Asian Games slated to be held in Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4.
The selected shooters are Usman Chand and Imam Haroon in skeet, Farrukh Nadeem in trap, Ghulam Mustafa Bashir, Mohammad Umar and Mohammad Shabbir in rapid-fire, and Kishmala Talat and Rabia Kabir in pistol.
Russian coach Vladimir Kovalenko will serve as head coach, while Commander Fazal-ul-Bari has been named the manager.
According to National Rifle Association of Pakistan (NRAP) senior official and coach Razi Ahmed Khan, an additional shooter could still be added to the final list.
“Yes, we have sent a reserve list also and an addition can be made to it,” Razi told media.
The national shooting team is currently preparing in Karachi and Jhelum. A training camp was established in Karachi on August 7, but the shooters temporarily moved to Jhelum for trials for next year’s Military Games.
They are likely to return to the port city on August 19 to resume preparations.
The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has pledged to sponsor half of the shooting contingent expenses, with NRAP covering the remaining expenses.
Medal hopes in Asian Games 2026
Pakistan has medal hopes, particularly through Bashir, Farrukh and Kishmala, but the difficulty of competing at the Asian Games level persists.
Kishmala was the first Pakistani shooter to win an Asian Games medal when she claimed bronze in the 10m air pistol event at Hangzhou 2023. She will again be among Pakistan’s medal hopes this year in Japan.
Farrukh won skeet gold at the Asian Championship in Doha earlier this year, while three-time Olympian Bashir won bronze at the 2022 World Championship in Cairo.
