**Pakistani Squad To Leave For Olympics On Aug.3 **](http://paknews.com/sports.php?id=1&date1=2004-07-20)
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan : July 20 (PNS) - Pakistan’s Olympics contingent, minus hockey team and boxing squad, will leave here for Athens on August 3, it was officially learnt on Monday.
The hockey team will make a warm-up trip to Spain before heading to 25th summer Olympiad in the Greek city of Athens which also hosted the first-ever modern Olympics in 1896. The five pugilists, set to represent Pakistan in the boxing ring at Athens, are currently training in Cuba under the guidance of coach Alvarez.
The five–Faisal Karim, Ahmed Ali, Asghar Ali Shah, Meherullah and Sohail Baloch–will report at Olympics village on August 6, accompanied by their Cuban coach Alvarez. Pakistan will also make token participation in athletics, swimming and shooting but hockey and boxing remain the two disciplines with most medal chances at the Olympics which begin on August 13.
The green-shirts will keenly look forward to clinching a fourth gold medal, and the first in 20 years, in men’s field hockey. They had last got the honours at Los Angeles in 1984. Hussain Shah had won the Olympics bronze medal in boxing back in 1988 at Seoul (South Korea) but Athens may yield more medals to the Pakistani pugilists than ever before if, and it may be a big If, the luck favours them. Pakistan will make debut in the ladies Olympics swimming pool but expecting Rubab Raza, who is to make splash in the Olympic pool in a “Shark Suite”, to progress beyond the first round in the free-style event will be asking too much.
Similarly, male swimmer Mumtaz Ahmed is also not likely to make much of an impact in the Olympic pool in his free-style competition. In athletics too, Pakistan will be represented by a male (Sajjad) and a female (Sumaira Zahoor) while a shooter (Khurram Inam) will compete in skeet event. But they are unlikely to advance beyond opening heats. The sources at Pakistan Sports Board here clarified that the contingent will wear the old dress at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics—olive green blazers and off-white trousers.
“There has been no change in the costumes for the formal ceremonies”, said an official. “However, the players are given two trousers normally and casual-wear trousers this time will be of fawn colour instead of being grey”, he said.
i was just bout to start the SAME thread 
