Sports slump

The 2022 Commonwealth Games will take place in Birmingham, England, from July 28 to August 8. With just a week to go, instead of weighing their medal hopes Pakistan’s sports authorities are bickering over how many joyriders can justifiably be included in the national contingent. Recently, the Pakistan Sports Board drastically reduced the number of athletes in the Birmingham-bound contingent and added more officials and guests to it. The contingent that will represent Pakistan in next month’s Islamic Solidarity Games in Konya, Turkey, was meted out similar treatment by the PSB. The decision to slash the number of competing athletes drew a sharp response from the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA). The PSB and POA are almost always at loggerheads especially when it comes to selection of squads for major international events. In the end the matter was resolved after it was agreed that the POA and respective federations would foot the bill for athletes who were excluded from the national contingents by the PSB. But the latest episode has once again highlighted the callous attitude of our sports authorities towards our sportspersons.

It’s hardly surprising that Pakistan’s stocks continue to fall at the international sporting arena. Take the Commonwealth Games, for example. At the last edition of the quadrennial event held in Gold Coast, Australia, Pakistan won just one gold and four bronze medals. With better training, Pakistan’s athletes could have done much better in Birmingham. But little effort was made to prepare our medal prospects. However, there is hope that athletes like ace wrestler Inam Butt, who won the gold in Gold Coast, will shine in Birmingham. Apart from Butt, Pakistan’s star javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem will be one of the favourites to win the title in Birmingham. Arshad, who missed out on a medal in the Gold Coast because of injury, showed his mettle at the Olympic Games in Tokyo last year when he narrowly missed out on a medal. Pakistan will miss the services of weightlifter Talha Talib, who is facing doping sanctions. But there are other weightlifters who will be fancying their chances of winning medals in England. In judo, Shah Hussain Shah is eyeing a gold medal in Birmingham. Youngster Qaiser Afridi can also spring a surprise with a judo medal. However, there is little hope for Pakistan to win a hockey medal. Once regarded as the world’s best team, Pakistan has experienced a major slump and is unlikely to finish on the podium in Birmingham. Similar is the case of boxing which once gave Pakistan a lion’s share of its medals in international events. Pakistan’s women’s cricket team will be featuring in the Games. Though not seen as front-runners for a medal, the team has the potential to do well in Birmingham. Pakistan will also be competing in other events like squash, badminton, gymnastics, swimming and table tennis but is unlikely to win any medals in them. The story could have been different for the national contingent had our sports authorities invested more time, money and energies in grooming and training our athletes. Unfortunately, they have different priorities.