Saadi Abbas plans retirement after South Asian Games

Pakistan’s top karate champion, Saadi Abbas, is preparing to retire after competing in the upcoming South Asian Games, which will be held in Pakistan.

In a conversation with Geo News in Lahore, the 36-year-old expressed his desire to win a gold medal in front of his home crowd before retiring from the sport.

Abbas said, “Since the South Asian Games are happening in Pakistan, and I’ve never had the chance to compete in front of Pakistani fans, my goal is to win a gold medal at home.”

He added, “After that, I will say goodbye to karate.”

Abbas has already won gold medals at the Asian and South Asian levels and is aiming to add another victory in next year’s event in Pakistan. He is also a two-time Commonwealth Championship gold medallist, a former Asian Champion, and has won two bronze medals at the Asian level.

When explaining his decision to retire, Abbas shared that he considered stepping away from karate after suffering from knee pain before the Asian Games. However, the federation encouraged him to stay and aim for a gold medal in the South Asian Games before retiring.

He mentioned that this support motivated him to return to competition, and he participated in the Asian Karate Championship in China. “I won my first match but lost the second one, though the competition was tough,” he said.

Before the South Asian Games, Abbas plans to compete in the Commonwealth Championship and a few more international events.