Shafiq stresses need for beach sports infrastructure

KARACHI: Pakistan Handball Federation (PHF) president Mohammad Shafiq on Monday urged the federal government to build infrastructure for beach events as the country is set to feature in the 6th Asian Beach Games slated to be held in Sanya, China, from November 18 to December 6 this year.

“As Pakistan is going to feature in the Asian Beach Games later this year the state has an amazing place in the shape of Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad, where it should build beach infrastructure so that national teams could hold camps and train for the continental beach event,” Shafiq told ‘The News’ in an interview from Faisalabad.

Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) has already announced that the country would be featuring in seven disciplines in these Games: kabaddi, handball, volleyball, athletics, jujitsu, sailing and wrestling.

“Pakistan has a solid record in Asian Beach Games and I urge the state to take a serious step towards building infrastructure for the purpose as it is not a resource-intensive exercise and can easily be done,” said Shafiq, also secretary general of Asian Handball Federation (AHF).

“Handball, kabaddi and volleyball are the team events in which Pakistan will be competing in China while the rest are individual sports,” Shafiq said.

“Despite lack of any proper facility Pakistan has encouraging record in Asian Beach Games, having won golds also. In handball, the world’s best sides are afraid of us and when they play against us they watch videos and prepare with solid planning. But we have no infrastructure. We have only the facility at the Agriculture University, Faisalabad,” said Shafiq, also the treasurer of Pakistan Olympic Association (POA).

“If we are to preform well in Asian Beach Games, the government should back the athletes and their federations. It should prepare infrastructure, back federations in training and pre-competition events so that solid preparation could be made,” Shafiq said.

He urged the Sindh government to build beach events infrastructure, saying Karachi was “ideal” for such events. “I don’t understand why Sindh government is not doing anything. Karachi is an ideal place for building beach infrastructure. Once you have infrastructure, going for a bid for hosting any international event will not be difficult,” Shafiq said.

“Qatar and Oman have established beach events stadia. When the US failed to host the World Beach Games, Qatar accept the offer to host it on short notice of three months because they have the infrastructure,” Shafiq said.

He said as sports have come to a stand-still because of the COVID-19 issue there was a great opportunity for the government to go for building beach sports infrastructure which would help Pakistan in the long run.

Pakistan handball team has never returned empty-handed from Asian Beach Games. Pakistan won gold in the inaugural Asian Beach Games held in Indonesia in 2008, in the second edition in Muscat the Green-shirts remained runners-up, and in the subsequent three editions Pakistan claimed bronze medals.

In kabaddi too, Pakistan has a good record in the Asian Beach Games, having won silver medals in the first four editions. Pakistan won gold in the fifth edition in Vietnam in 2016 when Green-shirts toppled the two-time gold medallists India 30-28 in a gripping final.

Shafiq also urged the state to make cash awards policy for the medallists of the Asian Beach Games and other big international beach events. He also stressed the need for having a policy in which coaches’ services could also be acknowledged by giving them cash awards. Shafiq was quick to add that it had been decided four years ago that coaches would also be honoured but while giving cash awards to the 13th South Asian Games medallists these days coaches were being ignored.

Shafiq is the only sports official to have raised voice about these matters in the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) meetings.

Shafiq also raised voice for the national coaches whose salaries ranged from Rs8000 to Rs15000. However, later the state doubled their salaries.

Shafiq said that the state always gets credit for Pakistan’s achievements in international circuit. He said the federations, Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and departments also deserved credit for the medals won at the 13th South Asian Games in Nepal last year because training camps were set up for only a few days after the National Games.

“It was a superb and timely decision from the POA to hold National Games just ahead of Nepal’s SAG. Otherwise, we would not have won medals in Nepal,” Shafiq said.

He said that the IPC minister did not even take pain to visit Peshawar to watch the Games.

He said that it would be of high value if Pakistan went for holding a South Asian level international beach event and National Beach Games ahead of the Asian Beach Games in China.