KARACHI, 29 June 2004 — Pakistan’s hopes of an Olympic medal in the ring took a beating as star boxer Nauman Karim tested positive for cannabis and was told he would not be selected for the Olympic team, officials said Sunday.
The 21-year-old Karim, who tested positive for banned cannabis, has also been disqualified for one year while three other Pakistani boxers have been let off with a warning, they said.
“Karim stands disqualified on account of doping violation as indicated in his positive dope test in the IXth South Asian Federation (SAF) Games in March-April this year,” said Pakistan’s boxing chief Anwar Chowdhry.
Karim was one of the 10 Pakistani boxers who swept all the gold medals in the regional SAF Games held in Islamabad and was a medal hope for the Athens Olympics.
“The report from the Doping Control Committee is the biggest shock of my life,” said Chowdhry. Other than in field hockey, Pakistan’s last Olympic medal came in boxing when Hussain Shah won a bronze in the Seoul Olympics in 1988. The country was once again in the medal race with six boxers qualified for the Athens Games in August. “Karim is our most promising boxer and this will hurt our chances at the Games,” said Chowdhry.
Karim won Pakistan’s first ever medal in the world championship in Bangkok, last year when he won a bronze and was declared the best boxer in the first Olympic qualifying round in the Philippines earlier this year.
