After the end of World War-II, the Britain started its journey on the road of redevelopment. Many initiatives were taken by the government to put the things right for which services of subject specialists were hired. One effort was made to put the British sports on road to recovery and ultimately achieve excellence.

In order to achieve this objective, in October 1957, the Central Council of Physical Recreation (CCPR) decided to appoint an independent Committee to examine the general position of sport in the UK and to recommend steps to be taken by statutory and voluntary bodies.

The CCPR was extremely fortunate in securing the agreement of Sir John Wolfenden, a British educationist, to serve as Chairman of the Committee. The committee comprised eminent scholars and representatives of different English countries. Interestingly, no sportsman was in the committee.

The Wolfenden Report is a detailed document covering and highlighting all relevant aspects of sports development in a country. It shows the resolve of the parliamentarians to put the British Sports on the road to stardom. The report served as the backbone of national sports policy.

The review of Wolfenden report offers many interesting outcomes that can serve as a blueprint for sports development in Pakistan.

Sir Richard Glyn in his comments said that the provision of adequate playing fields, sports arenas, swimming pools and similar facilities should be undertaken by local authorities to expand opportunities for healthy physical recreation, both indoors and outdoors.

Sir Richard said: “We must remember that success in international games such as the Olympic Games has to some extent become a matter of international prestige, and, whether one likes it or not, Olympic Games gold medals have become international status symbols.”

He highlighted the pitfalls in athletes’ career paths when the students leave the school, and quite suddenly all progress stops and they have no organised games or physical recreation. Indeed, the facilities which they have used are suddenly denied to them. They have to find some other way of taking part in organised sports.

Sir Richard remarked that local authorities should take pride in their sports centres.

A E Hunter said that he wanted the government to encourage local authorities to build either indoor or outdoor swimming pools. He said there was need for football and cricket fields, running tracks, and hockey and net ball fields for girls. The men and women who wish to take part in games over the weekend or in the evenings should have facilities to do so. He said facilities should be built for amateur teams and youth and athletic clubs to play at night.

He said that sports teach people to be good losers. “If we can teach young people to be good losers as well as good winners, I am sure that we will be able to build a splendid, strong and healthy Britain,” he added.

Sir Hubert Ashton from Chelmsford said that in order to promote and strengthen the sports at all levels in England, local government and education institutions must mobilise all possible resources.

Mr Richard Marsh said that there was need for government intervention on quite a large scale in sport. One cannot expect voluntary bodies to produce the kind of sports stadium that is essential. Many sports grounds which are owned by commercial concerns and often by local authorities are under-used and could be used much more fully if they were thrown open to the public, he suggested.

Captain Walter Elliot said he welcomed the suggested establishment of a Sports Development Council. “I would prefer to call it a ‘Recreational Council’ because it should cover more than sports and games,” he said.

He further said that the council would probably not require any more public money than is at present being provided. There would be more participants and standards would rise and there would be a dramatic fall in the figures of crimes for young people.

Mr Denis Howell from Birmingham said that little had been done to cater for the natural right of people to enjoy the countryside and seashores of England and to ensure that these places were available to them. “It is an absolute disgrace that half of our seashores are not open to the public and that half of those which are open are so polluted with sewage and filth as to be unbearable when one gets to them.,” he said and added that there should be legislation giving access to the countryside and seeing that access is available under reasonable conditions.

The Parliamentary Secretary to Ministry of Education Mr Kenneth Thompson, said that the committee recommended that the provision of adequate playing fields, sports arenas, swimming pools and similar facilities should be undertaken by local authorities and voluntary organisations.

Pakistan sports have been in doldrums with little hope of recovery. There is indeed a need to form a committee of able-minded parliamentarians and subject specialists to look into the affairs of national sports and formulate a comprehensive report like Wolfenden Report that can serve as a guideline for future sports development in Pakistan.

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