Squash star raises voice for equality

Toor Pakay says her rise in international squash should be an example to other young women in Pakistan

INCHEON: As a child Maria Toor Pakay had to dress as a boy to be able to play sports and now as the country's number one women's squash player she says there is still too much resistance.

Toor Pakay, competing at the Asian Games in South Korea, vowed not to stop helping girls in Pakistan overcome discrimination and cultural obstacles even though she has received threats for her work.

"I feel that this is my responsibility," said Toor Pakay after she was beaten by Hong Kong's Annie Au in the women's singles late Sunday. "I have to raise my voice for the other girls."

As a child Toor Pakay trained and competed as a boy. She at first competed in weightlifting, frequently beating the boys at tournaments. But her father made her switch to squash, where her gender was discovered.

After being required to produce a birth certificate to play squash at the age of 16, the truth about Toor Pakay came out and she was bullied by other players.

Toor Pakay said Pakistan is changing -- but very slowly.

"Always there are people who do support this logic but there are people who still resist this logic," she said.

But Pakistan's number one women's squash player believes the tide cannot now be turned back. Toor Pakay said her rise in international squash should be an example to other young women in Pakistan.

"I have to give them the same opportunity so that they become champions too," she said.

Toor Pakay turned professional in 2006 and came third in the World Junior Women's Championship in 2009.

"This is a beautiful sport, and today I feel that God has given me a chance to come up to such position," she said.

She vowed to help Pakistan's women to emerge from the shadows through sport, saying it had helped her overcome her tough life in one of the world's most dangerous regions.

"Squash is my lord and I've worked so hard to get to this position," she said.