Over a decade-long conflict that divided the badminton community into two factions has destroyed the sport in which once Pakistan had a say even at the world level. In 1978, Pakistani shuttler Tariq Wadood played the World Championships final. But now things are different. The recent National Badminton Championship here at the PSB Coaching Centre Karachi presented an appalling picture of the standard of the game.

The men’s lot seemed good but most of the top seeds have passed their prime and it would indeed be a challenge for the authorities to build a solid bench.

The standard of women brigade was more pathetic. International sanctions for a few years in the recent past also affected the standard as the players did not get international events.

Pakistan Badminton Federation’s (PBF) secretary Wajid Ali is not happy with the current situation of the sport. "We don’t find players. Parents don’t permit their children to play badminton," Wajid told me during the National Championship.

Interaction with people during the National Championship revealed that the club culture in the country has weakened because of which the number of players has gone down.

No doubt the PBF is now in the hands of a skilled secretary, who himself was a fine international player. And the way he has started handling the game by bringing in sponsors gives hope for a better future.

But reviving the sport is not easy and Wajid, who also runs a sports equipment business, will have to give more time to badminton affairs.

The PBF needs to establish a national academy where the top crop of the country could be prepared for future national duty. There should be a nation-wide talent hunt programme in various age-groups. The players should then be trained, if possible, under a foreign coach -- PBF has a plan in this respect.

The PBF also needs to produce more qualified coaches. Hardly any local coach is able to train the national players with the kind of efficiency which is needed at this critical stage.

The PBF is not utilising the services of the most qualified coach Raziuddin Ahmed, who was coach of Pakistan team during the 2010 Dhaka South Asian Games.

Besides getting assistance from the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), the PBF needs to consult Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) which could help the federation through the Olympic Solidarity programme of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Departments also need to recruit more players. National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) has only ten badminton players. Its official Amir Zia told me a few days ago that the bank plans to hire a few more shuttlers. If it is done it will definitely help the sport. WAPDA is the only department which has employed a large number of badminton players.

Those departments which don’t have badminton teams should own a few shuttlers which will make it easier for the country to regain its status in the discipline in international circuit.

If jobs are there, parents will not prevent their children from playing badminton.

The PBF will need to focus on giving consistent international exposure to its top players which is the only way to build a strong side.

As per world rankings updated on January 12, Rizwan Azam is ranked 309th and Hafiz Irfan Saeed stands at the 393 spot.

Pakistan’s top woman player Palwasha Bashir is ranked 223rd, Mahoor Shehzad 253rd, Sara Mohmand 342nd and Saba Rasheed 430th.

The National Championship was indeed an event for WAPDA as they swept away all the titles. The men’s team event final was the most enthralling one. WAPDA came from 2-0 down to secure an emphatic 3-2 win.

National Bank suffered because of the fitness issues of its key player Rizwan Azam. Its other main player Murad Ali, who beat the country’s leading player Hafiz Irfan Saeed of WAPDA in the team event final, also had fitness issues.

In the women team event final, WAPDA, having Khizra Rasheed, Mahoor Shehzad and Saima Waqas, beat NBP 3-0.

NBP had ailing Palwasha Bashir, veteran Ayesha Akram and Sara Mohmand.

WAPDA’s 26-year-old Awais Zahid defended his men’s singles title by beating his teammate Hafiz Irfan Saeed 23-21, 21-19 in the final. Both are Pakistan’s current international players.

Mahoor Shehzad of WAPDA clinched her first national crown when she got walk-over against defending champion Palwasha Bashir of NBP, who skipped the decider due to fever.

In the men’s doubles final which was also an all-WAPDA affair, Hafiz Irfan Saeed and Azeem Sarwar overpowered Awais Zahid and Atique Chaudhry 2-1 with the set score of 15-21, 21-14 and 21-18.

In the women’s doubles final, WAPDA’s Huma and Sahar Akram whacked Mahoor of WAPDA and Sara Mohmand of NBP 2-1 with the set score of 13-21, 21-14, 22-20.

In the mixed doubles final, WAPDA’s Azeem Sarwar and Saba Rasheed overpowered Waqas Ahmed and Saima 2-0 with the set score of 21-15, 21-16.

The organisers were able to attract some sponsors and the leading players were given motorcycles.

For the first time in the history of the national event, an international referee from the Maldives, Ali Abdul Karim, delivered his services. Ali is an accredited referee of Badminton Asia. He came on the invitation of the PBF.

The organisers had to stop the proceedings during the championship because of the ceiling leaks due to rain.

The state of the hostel of the PSB Coaching Centre Karachi annoyed the players. The male and female players of provinces, Islamabad and female players of WAPDA complained of lack of basic facilities. The PSB should focus on its infrastructure development and maintenance. It is its responsibility to provide good facilities to the players.

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