‘It’s a man’s world’. How commonly heard are these words for many females in Pakistan; however, there are some super strong sportswomen in our nation for whom it is nothing more than a fallacious phrase. Sport is one of those things which has the power to change lives. Women in sport defy gender stereotypes and social norms, make inspiring role models, and show men and women as equals. Sports have the ability to drive gender equality by teaching women and girls teamwork, self-reliance, resilience and confidence.

Representation is key in this field. Despite the gender gap and numerous challenges in the sports field, there are many brilliant women, hailing from Pakistan, who have made their invaluable contributions to the world of sports. In light of International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, observed annually on April 6th, You! recognises the remarkable achievements and unmatched potential of women and girls in sports…

Anita Karim

– the fighter

Anita Karim is a mixed martial artist. She is the first international female Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter from Pakistan to win multiple national and international-level bouts. Anita Karim is the only woman among the more than 300 professional MMA fighters in the country. She was born in Hunza in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Balistan region. She comes from a family of MMA fighters and trains at a MMA training centre founded by her brothers in Islamabad. She believes that MMA is the only sport that boosts your confidence and cultivates your self-defence. It provided her the confidence and strength to compete at a global level. She started training in mixed martial arts and wanted to become an example for other girls to encourage them to join a sport like MMA that makes an individual healthy and active.

The support from her family encouraged her enthusiasm towards MMA. She used to receive a lot of criticism for choosing this sport but through consistent hard work she has proved all the critics wrong. Looking at the difficulties faced by girls in Pakistan, it was tough for her to train and fight because MMA is an unusual sport and even considered dangerous for women. There are not many girls in MMA with whom she could train, so she would usually train with her brothers. People usually don’t comprehend this sport well and think of it only as a fight. According to Anita, it is not just a fight. It makes an individual physically and mentally strong and gives one the courage to stride ahead.

There is a perception that girls are weak and vulnerable, which makes it difficult for them to move forward. “We can only learn to compete in the world if we get to train with men equally,” she expresses.

Javeria Khan

– the all-rounder

Hailing from Torghar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Javeria Khan is a Pakistani cricketer who plays as an all-rounder, batting right-handed and bowling right-arm off break. Born and raised in Karachi, as a child, Javeria had always been into sports. Getting into professional cricket came as an opportunity when PCB was conducting trials, where she was selected as a spinner. Her journey from a regular sports-loving girl to becoming a renowned name in the Pakistan cricket team hasn’t been an easy one. “When you have a good support system back home, every hurdle becomes a stepping-stone. I am fortunate that I have a supportive family who helped me through all the thick and thins. However, initially, I had trouble managing my studies with game. It was hectic, but I never compromised my studies because of cricket,” she relays.

She believes that sports has no gender. If you are good, you will always find your place. “I have never seen myself through the lens of gender. But it feels good to be playing a sport that is liked and loved by everybody in Pakistan,” she states.

According to Javeria, girls should be encouraged to take part in sports actively. “Sport and exercise should be a mandatory subject,” she asserts.

Talking about the gender bias in the sports industry she says, “The sports infrastructure is very weak. With a powerful system, rise successful players. Just like women athletes take pride in the success of their male counterparts, so should men athletes extend their best wishes to female players on their social media. These small gestures will really help the visibility of female sports persons immensely.” With the rise of social media, the future is bright. There are many platforms on social media now where a player has direct access to masses.

Javeria has various accolades and achievements to her name and still continues to make waves being part of the Pakistan’s National Cricket team. She plans to set up a cricket complex for women to work on the skills of potential players.

Bisma Khan

– the champion

Pakistan’s promising young female swimmer Bisma Khan has represented Pakistan at the 2018 Asian Games, 2019 World Aquatics Championships, 2019 South Asian Games and recently at the 2020 Summer Olympics. Her father, sister and brother have all represented Pakistan in swimming. The Lahore-born is the current national champion swimmer and holds national records in five events.

Swimming in Pakistan, like many other sports, is deemed unfeminine. In a culture where it is unacceptable for a woman to become an athlete, girls like Bisma are an anomaly. Swimming is a particularly difficult sport to even practice, let alone perform competitively; the cut and revealing nature of the typical swimsuit can be at odds with acceptable decorum.

One common theme that each of these amazing athletes will likely share with you is that they needed the support of their community or family to accomplish their goals. It takes tenacity to be an exceptional athlete, and it takes courage to fight against old societal rules that say, ‘as a women you are not allowed.’ Coming from a swimming background, Bisma had a lot of support from her family and friends, specially her father. He built a swimming pool in his home to encourage his children to swim. Young women in Pakistan are often denied the opportunity to take part in sports and athletics. Every time Bisma dives into the pool to practice she is squashing gender biases and making it easier for future, younger swimmers to compete.

Noorena Shams

– the go-getter

Noorena Shams has been a cyclist, a cricketer and a squash player. She hails from lower Dir, a valley on the north-western border of Pakistan and Afghanistan. She was the first ever cyclist to win a silver medal for Pakistan in the Junior Olympics. Shams has played different sports and has won 63 gold medals, 24 silver medals and 5 bronze medals. As a squash player, Shams has been among the Top 40 Asian Junior Squash Players, and is currently ranked 209 in the world.

Not having enough exposure and growing up in an area where women in sports were never seen or heard of, she only had male athletes to look up to. Moreover, for girls, the biggest struggle in the community is to step out and play. Their battle starts from within their homes. “When I was sent to Peshawar to study, I had to hide about my participation in sports for at least 5-6 years at home. Any sports gear I have had before was always given by my friend’s father or some sports enthusiast. I had to fight at home a lot for where I am today. I am glad my family eventually understood and accepted,” she reveals.

Talking about her struggles she says that the infrastructure to support training is one of the biggest drawbacks. There is a lack of proper planning. “It seems like sometimes, us sportswomen, are our own coaches, nutritionists and even mental therapists. I recall how I had to train among 300 men in a stadium for my fitness programme just because the quality of male coaching was better than that of women,” she mentions. There is a false perception of how women in sports are thought of as someone to have masculine traits. “If they are strong, they are called manly. Their femininity is multiplied with a zero, which is totally wrong. If they show their strength in feminine way, they are not taken seriously,” she laments.

Right now, there are at least 110 international squash players from Pakistan, out of which 38 are women. But unfortunately no one knows because there is no media coverage. “I grew up with no role models around me to take inspiration from. I remember a little girl texting me after training that she feels safe when I am on the ground. I did not have that. Apart from that, I am part of 4 governing bodies of two sports in the country - making me the only athlete to do so. I always try to push women’s sports on bigger tables. In fact, through my efforts, at least 8 squash courts were built in 8 different women colleges in Peshawar. I have also put anti- harassment policies in the rule books of the government in sports.”

“The future is bright, the visibility is growing, the fight for rights is increasing and a day will come when women will be watched more. But the difference is that I know women wouldn’t put the other genders down. So the future looks beautifully safe,” she enthuses.

Manaal Tariq

– the dreamer

A badminton player and the first Pakistani athlete to win 5 consecutive junior titles, Manal grew up in Lahore and had always been sporty and played various different sports in school. “I always wanted to play cricket, but it was my father’s dream that I play badminton,” she reveals. She found inspiration in her grandmother who used to be a badminton player. It has been a tedious journey for her as she faced multiple injuries but didn’t give up and continued her fightback to make Pakistan proud. “Despite facing health issues, I managed to win Under 16 National Championship thrice and Under 19 National Championship twice,” she expresses.

She also represented Pakistan in Iran in 2017. “It was a dream come true. I achieved something I always dreamt of. Also, when I won the U-16 title after coming back from a back injury,” she relays.

Being a woman in this field was another obstacle itself. “I quickly realised if this is what I want to do with my life, I have to work harder, longer and faster to prove to a society where sports is a male-dominated field,” she comments. The gender roles and societal norms discourage a girl’s participation in sports events. Another reason why fathers won’t let their daughters join sports clubs or train is because of the female sports dress. Manaal believes that for participation of girls in sports, they do not have to be brought up as boys. “Parents on their part, just need to ensure that the girls never question and doubt what they can or cannot do, just because they’re girls. Because at the end of the day, when she comes home winning, the pride you feel will be worth taking the risk.

“Pakistan’s sports authorities have to look into providing female athletes not only equal opportunities but also make available incentives, prizes, and job promotions at the victory for their appreciation, which is provided to male athletes but denied to their counterparts,” she points out.

There is no denying that Pakistani women have come a long way in sports. “We have made our mark in this country and we can do more, just by having more media attention and coverage. Girls should be applauded for their talent and hard work rather than how they look and behave,” she asserts.