A four-member contingent of Pakistani wrestlers was unable to compete at the highly anticipated ongoing Asian Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Mohammad Bilal, Inayatullah, Nouman Zaka, and their coach Ghulam Fareed landed at the wrong airport and were subsequently denied a visa-on-arrival, which is only issued at Astana.
As a result, the contingent was deported to Dubai, where they were unable to arrange a flight to reach their intended destination in time for their scheduled matches.
The Pakistan Wrestling Federation (PWF) expressed deep regret over the incident, citing a shortage of time as the reason for not being able to apply for visas.
PWF vice-president, Arshad Sattar, confirmed that the federation had been assured that the issue would be taken care of upon the team’s arrival in Astana.
However, despite their best efforts, the wrestlers were unable to make it to the competition, which serve as a qualifying event for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.
