Mahur Shehzad: Pakistan's national badminton champion gets wild card for Olympics
According to the Pakistan Olympic Association, national badminton champion Mahur Shehzad will represent the country at this year's Tokyo Olympics in a wild card entry.
She will be the first Pakistani player in the history of badminton to participate in individual badminton competitions at the Olympic Games.
Speaking to the Janisports, Mahur said he was happy to be selected for the Tokyo Olympics.
"My dream was to represent Pakistan in the Olympics. I worked hard for it and now that dream is coming true. '
Mahur said he was hopeful of doing his best in the sport.
Some time ago, Mahur Shehzad had a detailed discussion with the janisports's Karim-ul-Islam about his career and his dream of participating in the Olympic Games, which is being re-presented to the readers.
When the Badminton World Federation released the latest player rankings in July 2019, for the first time in history, a Pakistani player, Mahur Shehzad, was among the top 150 players.
Mahur has been Pakistan's number one badminton player for the past four years and has also been the national champion for the last three years.
In an interview with the janisports.online, Mahur Shehzad said that badminton is the most popular sport in the world after football and that is why the competition in this sport is very tough.
"It is an honor for any player to play in a competition held under the auspices of the Badminton World Federation and if one reaches the quarter-finals of these competitions, it is considered a great achievement.
"Similarly, if a player succeeds in making it to the top 150 in the world rankings, he will be counted among the best badminton players."Mahur Shehzad's list of achievements so far in the national and international badminton circuit is long.
She won gold and bronze medals in the singles at the Pakistan International Badminton Tournament 2017, while she won the singles at the National Badminton Championships in January 2017 and finished second in the women's doubles.
Mahur also represented Pakistan at the 2014 Asian Games in South Korea, after which she won the women's singles at the All Pakistan Ranking Badminton Tournament in 2015 and 2016 and finished second at the 2015 National Badminton Championships. Of was, She finished second in Pakistan International 2016 and was the winner of the 2017 tournament.
The father's dream that the daughter fulfilled
Asked why there are so many sports but why he came up with the idea of playing badminton, he said that the home environment played a big role in attracting him to the sport.
"My father played badminton up to junior level and he wanted his daughters to play it too. As a child, I used to imitate my father when he practiced. Then I started playing badminton in the street like other children.
Mahur says that at the age of 13, he participated in the Junior National Under-19 Championship for the first time and became the winner.
"It simply came to our notice then. He felt that if proper facilities were provided, I could achieve success in national and international competitions and make my place in badminton.
'My dad is my coach'
Mahur Shehzad says that behind her success is the hard work of her parents for years.
"From the beginning, Dad taught me to practice every morning. Initially, they chose international tournaments for me. They still bear the cost of travel and accommodation, as well as visa applications for overseas trips.
Mahur says that after each match, he sits with his father and watches the video of the match and also gives tips to identify the flaws and fix them.
Being a girl is not easy
Maher said that it was not difficult for her to get involved in sports due to the support and help of her family but the situation is very different for other girls.
"Most parents think that sports is a waste of time and that it is not possible to get a decent job.
"Parents are of the opinion that girls are going to get married, so they should focus only on the home. That's why people don't send their daughters to sports and only girls whose parents support them succeed in this field.
No academy
Mahur Shehzad says that the biggest obstacle to the promotion of badminton in Pakistan is the absence of badminton academies in the country.
"My father has been a badminton player himself so he trains me but it is very difficult to find coaches for other players as there are very few qualified badminton coaches in Pakistan.
"Here the players have to find coaches themselves and get permission to use badminton courts by paying fees in private clubs. There is no system that tells players how to train and how to schedule a day.
"I have to prepare my own training schedule. If there are academies, it will be very convenient for the players.
Unpopular game
Asked why youngsters and children are seen playing badminton in the streets of every small and big city but why it is still an unpopular sport in Pakistan, Mahur said there is a lack of awareness about badminton.
She wants the media to show the national badminton tournament live on TV because that way people will get information about the game and they will know about the national players.
"When my world ranking improved and I was mentioned in the media, people's interest in the game automatically increased. Now young boys and girls are contacting me that they also want to play this game.
Expensive game
Maher also said that badminton is an expensive sport and not everyone can afford it.
"A shuttle costs between Rs 150 and Rs 200 and at least three to four shuttles are used in a training session. Thus, the daily cost of a shuttle alone is Rs five to six hundred. In addition, a good quality racket costs about forty to fifty thousand rupees.
"Not only that, the players have to pay the badminton court and coach fees out of their own pockets, so badminton is not a cheap sport at all."
He said that the government was not providing adequate funds to the Badminton Federation due to which the players could participate in very few international competitions.
Desire to play in the Olympics
Now Mahur Shahzad's eyes are on the Olympics. After success at the national level, she says, her goal now is to make a name for herself on the international badminton circuit.
"I intend to compete in as many international competitions as possible before the Tokyo Olympics to improve my world rankings. In this way, if I manage to make it to the top 70, I will be able to participate in the 2020 Olympics in Japan.
Along with sports, education is very important
Mahur Shehzad is a graduate of the Institute of Business Administration in Karachi and says athletes should pursue higher education as well as sports.
He said that his educational institutions helped him a lot in his badminton career.
"School and university people knew I was a national level player, so if there were any competitions during the exams, they would take my exam again. Teachers also often taught me after classes.
"When I joined the IBA, they supported me and did not allow my education to be interrupted despite my absences."