For the Asian Games 2023, the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) has allowed two female athletes to travel to China.
After consultation with the Pakistan Sports Board, Sahib e Asra and Arooj Kiran have been given the green signal to participate in the event.
The two were previously barred from travelling to Hangzhou with the remaining players after the dope test results were not received.
Both the players will be available to participate in the athletics event tomorrow. Asra will compete in the 400m race while Kiran is in the 100m category.
Asra had opened up previously and said that this doesn't happen anywhere.
"The dope test was taken 20 days ago, we still haven't got the result," she began. "It doesn't happen anywhere in the world that an athlete is stopped from travelling and waiting for the result.
"The director of PSB told the AFP to stop me from travel," she claimed.
"If it was important to get the results before we leave, then everything should've been arranged accordingly.
It must be noted in August, the Pakistan Olympics Association (POA) and the PSB decided to organise random doping tests ahead of the Asian Games.
About 30 to 40 players were a part of those tests.
The POA and PSB mutually decided that their focus would be on sports that have had a bad doping test record in the past. Weightlifting, athletics and kabaddi players were specifically mentioned.
The Pakistan Weightlifting Association had a tough time dealing with this issue in the recent 34th National Games — which were organised in May 2023 — as there were positive dope tests of some athletics and weightlifting players.
Faizan Lakhani Faizan Lakhani is Deputy Editor (Sports) at Geo News.
