Pakistan’s dismal presence at the ongoing Rio Games is yet another reminder of our downfall in sports
It is heart-wrenching to see Pakistan’s pathetic status in global sports. Only seven athletes, most of them mediocre, are representing the country in the ongoing Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Pakistan for the first time failed to qualify for the world’s most prestigious event in hockey which is an eye opener for the authorities.
Pakistan’s failure to qualify is a sort of blessing for other sports disciplines as sports officials have now started realising that hockey is not the only game played in the country and there is a need to pay attention to the other sports disciplines as well.
There are several sports disciplines in which Pakistan could turn out to be world beater. It’s time to think about individual sports as India did. Pakistan has world-class talent in some disciplines.
Even through a short-term plan a dozen of national players can not only qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but also win medals.
Wrestlers Mohammad Inam, Asad Butt, Bilal Butt, javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem, shooter Usman Chand, weightlifter Nooh Datagir Butt, karateka Saadi Abbas and emerging judoka Qaiser Khan are some of those players who can spring surprise in Tokyo 2020.
Japan-based judoka Shah Hussain can surely win medal in 2020 Olympics which will be held in his home town.
A few boxers can also be produced for the task. But in order to achieve the desired results the authorities will have to start working on these athletes now. The government will have to back the relevant federations as preparing the stuff exclusively for the grand event will involve intensive foreign training and competitions for four successive years.
If the government can spend Rs137 million on the Quaid-e-Azam Inter-Provincial Games then why can’t it do so for preparing the talent for future world-level events.
There is also need of a long-term plan for sports development. But it needs a lot of investment as for this you require a proper structure and development system which is run by the most disciplined and skilled hands.
The other day I asked Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Director General Akhtar Nawaz Ganjera why he was going to Rio. He said he always tried to learn from such events so that he could make an effort to bring an improvement in Pakistan’s sports.
As DG PSB he has witnessed several major international events but what has he done for the country’s sports? He had no answer. It’s really alarming that our officials are not interested in sports development. They don’t learn from history and are playing with the future of the athletes. When Mr Rodham was the PSB DG he never crossed Pakistan’s border. I want to clarify to all the top level officials of Pakistan’s sports that foreign tours would not add to their prestige but they would be judged by the efforts they make for the development of Pakistan’s sports. Our sports systems need to be depoliticised.
Ask a senior official of Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and former Sports Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Aqil Shah and he would tell you the story about the downfall of the country’s sports. "There are five things which you need for sports development. These are talent hunt, facilities, coaching/training, competition and incentives. If you miss even one of them it will affect the sports development process," Aqil told ‘The News on Sunday (TNS)’ in an interview.
"There is no system of talent hunt in Pakistan because there is no sports at school level. There is also no sufficient infrastructure which could serve the purpose. You need gymnasiums, hockey turfs, stadiums, facilities for indoor games and academies," said Aqil, who also heads the POA’s sports commission.
"I stress that infrastructure should be built along Pak-China Economic Corridor but no one in the government listens. There is a need for national academy and Chattar and Pakhli plains above Mansehra are the best zones for the project. It would bring a revolution in Pakistan’s sports," Aqil said.
"The standard of training and coaching is also sub-standard and the woes are augmented by the lack of competitions and incentives for the players. If you don’t encourage the talent how can youngsters be attracted towards sports?" Aqil said.
"After devolution provinces should allocate hefty funds for sports development. They should focus on infrastructure and competitions. Pakistan has enormous talent. We can be a sports power if proper efforts are made. We are even behind Sri Lanka and Nepal and our graph will further go down if we do not try to arrest the decline. Hockey has been destroyed and now we should forget that we will again be able to qualify for Olympics. It will need a great effort to return to Olympic fold," said Aqil, also a former senator.
"The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) should do what is in its domain. It should leave those matters which are the prerogatives of the POA. It’s time to correct our system. The PSB does not hold regularly its 85-member board meeting because of fear of accountability," Aqil said.