Commonwealth Games: Pakistan badminton team finds last minute Birmingham sponsor after being dropped by government

Birmingham: A four-member Pakistan badminton team, the standard squad size being eight, has made it to Birmingham against all odds. The players including Olympian Mahoor Shahzad were not even supposed to be here. The Pakistan Sports Board dropped badminton from its Commonwealth Games contingent earlier this month due to lack of funds, crushing their hopes before they found a last-minute sponsor in the country’s Olympic body.

'India has better facilities and more awareness than Pakistan' - Mahoor Shahzad | Sports Today #badminton #commonwealthgames #indiapakistan pic.twitter.com/zPSInW49Pq

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With government support also non-existent and private players only backing cricket, Shahzad says it is tough to be a sportsperson in her country even though there has been an increase in awareness around the racket sport over the last couple of years. The 26-year-old Shahzad from Karachi, who became the first Pakistan badminton player to feature in the Olympics last year, is primarily a singles specialist but she had to play doubles too in a one-sided affair against a formidable India on Friday due to the small team size. The same was the case with her women’s doubles partner, Ghazala Siddique, who also had to pair up in the mixed doubles event. The male team members are Murad Ali and Irfan Saeed Bhatti. “The other teams have eight players. Here, four of us have to play all the games. I am a singles player but had to play in doubles and mixed doubles as well. It becomes difficult to focus on one,” Shahzad told. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.