Outburst: Inam questions his passion for wrestling

Multiple medal winner demands recognition of athletes who are not cricketers

KARACHI: "My father told me to quit wrestling when we returned after winning the world title from Turkey," revealed Muhammad Inam Butt, who has been the most consistent wrestler for Pakistan and became the first for the nation to win any world title back-to-back at the Beach Wrestling World Championships.

Inam's disappointment is evident, but it is his spirit and passion for the art of wrestling that keeps him going, his love for the country that somehow fails to reciprocate the same to any sportsperson that is not a cricketer.

While his illustrious career includes two Commonwealth Games gold medals (2010 and 2018), gold medals at the Asian Beach Games 2016, gold medals at the South Asian Games, silver medal at the Asian Games, Inam feels the Pakistan government and specially Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) are blind to wrestling, the sport that has gotten at least 83 medals at all the major games including one in Olympics and 42 at the Commonwealth Games.

"My father was with me at the Beach Wrestling World Championship, but when we returned there was no government official to greet us, no PSB official, nothing, and my father was just heartbroken, he asked me what is the point of competing for Pakistan now, when they don't care," Inam told The Express Tribune. "I had no answer to his question. I was disappointed too, but watching him getting sad over this was tough, it was the toughest thing for me to see."

Inam defeated Georgia's Irakli Mtsituri 3-1 in the final on October 7 and became the first Pakistani to win the same title twice, successfully defending his -90kg freestyle territory, only to come back home to find that the attitude has not changed much and his win will be soon forgotten.

"It makes me question everything, at this point. If it is not cricket, it doesn't matter. The Prime Minister of Pakistan still celebrates his win that came to Pakistan in 1992. It has been more than 20 years and cricket World Cup win is still being celebrated, but what about other sports, which are globally more competitive than cricket, more demanding of athletes than cricket, what about athletes like me? The PSB really has no idea how to get medals at Olympics, it is the sportspeople that do everything on their own, yet, it is not us, but a win in cricket that matters more, that is celebrated more," said Inam.

He added that being a wrestler is not easy, but it is the only thing he has the passion for, but with Inayatullah's medal at the Youth Olympic Games, he wants the future generations to be mindful.

17-year-old Inayatullah made his mark with the solitary medal for the country at the Youth Olympic Games in Argentina this week.

His primary concern is for the 100 young wrestlers he trains in Gujranwala, where he finds it hard to answer them when they ask about their future.

"At this point my only concern is for the future of wrestling, despite such negligence from the PSB and government we still have talented wrestlers like Inayat and others, what are they getting from it? What do I tell the youth I'm training at my akhara (gym), who would dedicate their lives to this sport, to win a medal for their country, only to find out that they would not be celebrated the way they deserve? What will they think when they look at me, I ask myself too, I've gotten the world title, the top place, how much more do I have to prove myself?" asked Inam.

He trains at least six hours a day when at home, spends at least Rs60,000 alone on his diet to be in top shape, and endless hours of hard work, without any support from the PSB or the government, and his only request from the authorities has been to concentrate on the medal winners.

Inam has been very vocal about the limited resources that the athletes have to even prepare for the international events.

He wanted to train abroad as well, but he won his world title by just training in Gujranwala, at his akhara that does not even have a proper roof or floor.

He added that the PSB and Pakistan Olympic Association should shortlist the top eight to 10 athletes who have been performing and getting medals for the country at international events and groom them for the Olympics by having a professional plan and vision.

"There are solutions, I'm not just speaking up for myself, but athletes like karateka Saadi Abbas, weightlifters like Nooh Dastagir Butt and Talha Talib, athlete Arshad Nadeem, wrestlers like Muhammad Bilal and Inayatullah, all of us, we have been consistent what else do we need to do to get their attention. I'm not even asking to give us money, but provide facilities to us like training camps abroad, invest in us and focus on the top athletes for 2020 Olympics so that we can win those medals,” said Inam.

The 29-year-old said that his experience after the Beach Wrestling World Championship has been a depressing one.

"I was just in my home town, people kept coming to congratulate me, but there is this concern, I was not happy the way I should have been. I was told by member of media that the federal minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination, who looks after the PSB, was not even aware that I won something; that I exist. They might have sent a press statement on congratulating me, but she didn't know, and that is something that I'm upset about.

“What is the point of these officials in authority, sitting in these government offices? The PSB officials have those positions because of sports, it is because of the athletes that they are in the offices, it is because of our hard work that they even have those jobs, which they are not fulfilling," said Inam.

He said that investing in athletes should not be a problem, especially now when the country is being run by a former sportsman. He feels that it is through sports that Pakistan can build a better image globally.

"If not sports, then what? I remember last year in Turkey at the Beach World Championship the Europeans were afraid of us when they found out we are from Pakistan, they wanted to change their rooms, that were next to us, they would look down upon us, even call us names, but by the end of the championship they were our fans, this time we went, they were cheering for a Pakistani wrestler. That is the power of sport, I want the PSB and the government to see this, to acknowledge this by giving us good facilities and a plan to professionally train for Olympics, train abroad, invest and see all of us.

“Cricket is not the only sport in Pakistan," concluded Inam.