Hidden talent

Given the lack of facilities and opportunities young people in Pakistan face, it is understandable why our athletes fail to excel and garner medals. But various events have shown that some encouragement, support and opportunity go a long way in helping these people make the nation proud with their achievements. Can we dare hope then that twelve-year-old Ayesha Ayaz’s memorable win at the International Taekwondo Championship in Bangkok, Thailand will finally convince the Pakistan government to pay attention to the needs of Pakistani women athletes and provide them the support they need to excel at international games? Ayesha is from Swat and has sent shock waves among people by winning one silver and two bronze medals after defeating players from three other countries in the 42kg weight category in an event featuring over 2,000 athletes.

Ayesha’s performance at this young age puts her in a category of athletes who have taken the country by surprise and demonstrated how much potential it has. While the fact that her father is the coach of the national taekwondo team and her mother is a former national champion gives her an advantage in terms of environment and training support, what she has achieved is something only few can achieve. It is also hoped that her performance will encourage other parents to introduce their children to all kinds of sports and to recognize its potential, regardless of the outcome of their matches. Sports are a great way to make friends around the world and learn to win or lose with grace and dignity. It is also especially important in an age where children are being affected mentally, emotionally and even physically by their addiction to mobile phone and laptop screens. More importantly, in a country where nutrition is fast depleting and young children face stunted growth, it is heartening to see sports becoming a more regular feature in the lives of more young Pakistanis.

Ayesha has performed wonders and deserves a standing ovation. But the fact that the national taekwondo team which will represent Pakistan at the Asian Games in September will reportedly consist of eight players and almost the same number of officials highlights some of the deep flaws in our sporting structure. Too many of our sports federations use international events as an opportunity to offer ‘joyrides’ to favoured officials rather than a chance for young players to gain experience and demonstrate their skills. Only if we can widen the network of sports and have more participation at all levels can Pakistan hope to move beyond success in cricket alone and prove before national audiences that it has the ability to do well in other sports as well. Unfortunately, Pakistan has failed to win a gold medal in the Olympics since 1988 when boxer Hussain Shah defeated his opponents to the surprise of many at Seoul. We need a dedicated effort to lift our athletes so more Ayeshas can achieve the distinction they richly deserve.