Forgotten athletes

Pakistan has never been a friendly place to anyone who is different. This can be people who practice a different faith, those who speak a language unfamiliar to the majority and even those who have different needs and/or disabilities. According to Human Rights Watch estimates, the exact number of people with disabilities in Pakistan could be anywhere between 3.3 million and 27 million. That even getting an accurate number is a challenge for the state highlights just how excluded those with disabilities are in this country. Even if we take the lower bound of this estimate, it is surprising how rarely we see many disabled people in public life or even ordinary everyday life. When is the last time one can say that they interacted with a person with a disability at the workplace? How many of us remember the last time we saw a disabled parliamentary representative or minister? When simply being recognised is a problem, the actual provision of equitable access and other steps to aid and empower the disabled are likely a step too far. This is precisely why events like this year’s Special Olympics World Winter Games, held between March 8 and March 15 in Turin, Italy, and Pakistan’s participation in them, are so important.

Pakistan finished the event with a total of 11 medals: six gold, three silver, and two bronze. Events where athletes from the country win six gold medals are pretty much unprecedented. And yes, these winners are athletes every bit as much as any of Pakistan’s cricketers. The only major difference here is that the latter have never managed this level of success despite being paid sums the former will likely never be able to attain. The former will also never be shown in copious ads or win the kind of recognition or admiration that their achievements demand. Muneeb Ur Rehman and Abdul Saboor, who brought home the gold medal in the men’s 100-meter cross-country skiing race and the men’s 400-meter snowshoeing race respectively, deserve to be household names as much as any other high-achieving sportsperson. Even more so when considering the fact that many Pakistani athletes have gotten famous without actually delivering the goods. The Special Olympics team’s performance also saw a rare triumph for female athletes in Pakistan, with Minal winning the gold medal in the women’s 400-meter snowshoeing race. Also, who would have ever thought that this country would one day perform at a world-beating level in winter sports? This only highlights just how remarkable the medal haul of Pakistan’s special athletes really is.

Special Olympics Pakistan deserves a lot of credit for organising this triumph. A competent sports board is a rarity in this country. More than anything, this achievement highlights that the intellectually or physically disabled can aim just as high as anyone else provided that they are given the level of support that they need. In this context, Pakistan’s neglect of its disabled comes not only at the cost of the disabled community itself but the nation as a whole. People fully capable of contributing to the country are being left in the shadows. A big part of the reason why is that this is a poor country. But, there can be no getting around the fact that apathy towards the disabled also plays a part.