Pakistan at Winter Olympics 2022: When theatrics matter more than triumphs

For our leaders, the reception matters but not why Pakistan is lagging behind in the international sports arena

Pakistani politicians appear to have a rare talent for giving themselves unearned pats on the back and engaging in self-congratulatory behaviour, which in turn only reveals their complete inability to adequately wrap their heads around the true core of the issues faced by the country. The recently held opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Beijing provided us with yet another such example. Anyone who has even a modicum of knowledge regarding Pakistan’s record at the Olympics in recent times would know that it is nothing worth celebrating. Our athletes are disenfranchised and often have to resort to training themselves since they receive little to no state patronage. This lack of diligent involvement on part of the state is reflected in Pakistan’s measly Olympics medals tally. Yet, this reality seems to be lost on the current Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry.

As part of a diplomatic visit to China, a contingent of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members – comprising of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Information Minister Chaudhry, among others – attended the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics 2022. Chaudhry subsequently said:

“Dozens of teams came but if there was applause for any team after China in the stadium, it was the Pakistan team. The Chinese people love Pakistan and the applause are an expression of the same spirit.”

Naturally, given how Pakistan has pinned its future prospects to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and due to a lack of allies in the region, a Pakistani politician cheering on the importance of Pak-Sino friendship is nothing new. But what is startling is that Chaudhry’s primary takeaway after seeing the one lonesome athlete representing Pakistan at the Winter Olympics was to marvel at how much the Chinese apparently love Pakistan. If anything, such blatant ignorance only helps to illustrate why our athletes have been so neglected over the years. Our policymakers are simply more interested in amateur theatrics and maintaining appearances instead of actual long-term investment and development of our sportspersons. In effect, this ability to stick their head in the sand so easily extends to all aspects of Pakistan’s political, social and economic problems.

The unfortunate reality is that Pakistan participated in the Winter Olympics for the first time in 2010. One athlete attended the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010, one athlete was present at the Winter Olympics in 2014, and an unprecedented two athletes represented Pakistan at the 2018 Winter Olympics. All the said individuals participated in the skiing categories. This year, only one Pakistani, alpine skier Muhammad Karim, was able to qualify for the Winter Olympics. As a result, a nation of more than 220 million people was only able to send a paltry squad of five people (one athlete and four officials) to the Beijing Winter Olympics. Yet, our leaders are more interested in the reception they received rather than trying to address why Pakistan is lagging so far behind the rest of the world in the international sports arena.

It goes without saying that all our well wishes and prayers are with Karim, and we hope he continues to represent the country for many years to come. But as is the case during the Summer Olympics, it is unfair for us as a nation to have any concrete expectations from our athletes at the Olympics. They have been deprived by the state for decades due to the neglect and corruption which has taken root in the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA). Athletes like Arshad Nadeem, who made Pakistan proud after finishing fifth in the javelin throw category during the Tokyo Olympics 2020, can only get so far given the limited facilities at their disposal. As a result, there is simply no comparison between the training Pakistan’s athletes are afforded as opposed to that which most professional international athletes receive.

Unfortunately, our policymakers keep relying on hand-outs from other nations in order to improve their own mess. In a recent interview with Chinese media, Chaudhry said,

“Pakistan’s northern area is double that of Switzerland in terms of size and having the world’s highest peaks that are suitable for winter sports, but our winter sports are not up to the mark. I hope China would help us by setting up a framework for winter sports in that region.”

Firstly, the recent Murree tragedy has demonstrated that having scenic locations which can rival Switzerland is of little value if no attention is paid by the state to the development of proper infrastructure in the region. Secondly, China cannot simply swoop in and solve Pakistan’s sporting woes. The government needs to take accountability and put a proper plan in place from top to bottom in an attempt overhaul the existing system if it truly wishes to encourage and promote athletes. The POA in particular needs to be attended to and reformed, otherwise we will continue to return from the Summer and Winter Olympics empty-handed.