The Pakistan Weightlifting Federation has announced that it will be sending an eight-member squad to next year’s Rio 2016 qualifier in Samarkand, Uzbekistan ©PWF

The Pakistan Weightlifting Federation (PWF) has announced that it will be sending an eight-member squad to next year’s Rio 2016 qualifier in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

In doing so, the PWF will be represented at an Olympic qualifier for the first time since 1976.

PWF vice-president Muhammad Rashed Malik claimed the Federation had not sent any athletes for what will be 40 years because they did not have the necessary ability to compete on the international stage.

However, encouraging results at regional-level events has increased the PWF's confidence sufficiently to send a team to the 2016 Asian Championships, which are due to take place from April 25 to 30. 

"It will be the first time that our athletes will go for an Olympic qualifier since 1976, but we still have a long journey to even get there," Malik told The Express Tribune, a daily English-language newspaper in Pakistan.

"We didn’t compete for a place in the Olympics before because our athletes lacked quality.

"We’ve been working for the last three years to develop weightlifters who can win us medals at the mega event and now the time has come to send a team."

Pakistan's Shuja-Ud-Din Malik won gold in the men’s 85kg combined event at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games
Pakistan's Shuja-Ud-Din Malik won gold in the men’s 85kg combined event at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games ©Getty Images

In a bid to keep its athletes in good physical condition and increase their exposure, the PWF intends to send an eight-member squad to next year’s South Asian Games, which are set to be hosted by Indian cities Guwahati and Shillong in February. 

"We want the athletes to compete at the maximum number of events before the Olympics, and regional titles are always a boost for confidence," added Malik.

Muhammad Tahir, who made his debut at this month’s Qatar Cup in Doha, is among those being considered for the Olympic qualification round, according to Malik.

Pakistan have never won an Olympic medal in weightlifting but have claimed six at the Commonwealth Games.

The country's tally includes one gold medal thanks to Shuja-Ud-Din Malik’s winning performance in the men’s 85 kilogram combined event at Melbourne 2006.