Finding her feet: Noorena takes a stand on athletes’ management
22-year-old is hyperaware of the neglect ruining Pakistani sports
PHOTO: Noorena Shams
KARACHI:
22-year-old Noorena Shams has recently been appointed as the youngest member of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Sports Management Committee. The young athlete has been very vocal about the problems faced by Pakistani sportspersons.
Shams is hyperaware of the neglect ruining Pakistani sports. In her first meeting with the K-P Sports committee, she shared a 14-point draft of suggestions, voicing the need to address sexual harassment, providing health insurance, setting up facilities for physiotherapy and psychotherapy among others.
She spoke about developing an infrastructure to support the athletes of K-P, to ensure they have the opportunities to hone and perfect their skills and rise through the ranks. Shams understands her role fully well and the responsibility that comes with it. "I'm representing athletes here, it is about them, it is about me," she said speaking with The Express Tribune.
Her suggestions were surprisingly supported at the meeting headed by Atif Khan, Senior Sports Minister for Sport.
However, for the young athlete, that is only the first step in the battle to make a difference. The squash player will now be concentrating on policy-making along with studies and squash tournaments.
Having struggled to find playing facilities and being disappointed in the policies that prevented her from playing, Noorena suggested athletes should be provided with careers counselling.
Noorena says her real training has just begun after engaging Adil Atlas as coach. Earlier, she was turned down by the Pakistan Air Force Academy for not being young enough to be trained anymore and really had to fight for just the chance to play.
"I can say I lose, a lot, but I know that I can make a difference, so far I had been fighting just to retain opportunities to play as a girl from Lower Dir, to break that mould which was placed in my head from the society. I am now trying to help others as well, I know the system does not support athletes. Now we can change it, if my voice can help it to change.”
"I just want to say to my fellow athletes too and the government that I know what is wrong with the system, I know why I failed as an athlete for so long, I didn't have anyone to support me, but I'm here for the other athletes," Noorena said.
Much like Maria Toor, Noorena also had to battle gender bias at an early age. She believes women across K-P and other areas have to take the first step by just getting out of the house.
"Taking that first step is always difficult. Nne of my cousins was the only girl to have gone to a school where she was the only female student. It is taking that first step that is important. I have done the same, I go out in my tracksuit, I stopped wearing abaya (veil) over it in Peshawar, and I now hear that people want to see their girls play sports too."
Noorena’s love for sports began with cycling, when father, who was alive at that time supported her. When she could cycle openly in Dir. After his death and Taliban attacks in Dir, Noorena's family stayed in the region for over a year, where she couldn’t attend school. She eventually moved to Peshawar.
"It was a troubling time, we didn't know if we would live or die. With my father not around anymore, my mother had decided to stay back with a thought that it is better to die at their own house than to die elsewhere," said Noorena.
"I didn't go to school, I would play sports at home, but there was a lot of uncertainty, as a family we knew anything can happen."
So determined was the Noorena to play sports that she would disguise herself as a boy to continue playing cricket with the boys’ team. Her coach would cut her hair so she could carry on playing sports.
"I just wanted to play sports, and although I would've gone on to play in U19 women's team too, after being found out that I am a girl, and after playing with the boys so long, my mother told me to focus on studies and finish school first. I can say that my male teammates were still very supportive of me, and they never made me feel awkward or bad about playing sports," explained Noorena.
Despite her interest in swimming she had to abandon it due to overheads, however, she ultimately took up squash.
"Initially it was a struggle, but I know I just wanted to be an athlete," said Noorena passionately.
"I saw how people respected squash players, Amir Atlas I thought I wanted to be like that too, but I didn't know that even finding a professional coach would be difficult, even playing in the court will be hard, because I was not allowed to, I was overage for training, and then there were financial constraints. My mother even told me that it is hard to support a career in sports, but then from a young age I started to earn on my own, working as a cartoonist, then as a wedding photographer just to register myself with Professional Squash Players Association and then to play. I did find sponsors when I shared my story, but it has been difficult," said Noorena.
Noorena feels she has been fighting dual battles in her pursuit of a career in sports. The first one was with herself - pretending to be a boy and unlearning the 'traditional ways' that girls should be submissive - and the second battle was with the world, that she can play and make a difference as an athlete.
"I still struggle to win tournaments,” admitted Noorena, as she first went to an international tournament in Hong Kong in 2015, then to Australia and Malaysia.
However, she trained in the US last year for three months, after finding a sponsor that paid for her academy fee. So far she has competed in 19 tournaments altogether, she said.
Her aim as an athlete, she says, is to achieve excellence. She wants to win the national championships first.
"I've trained abroad and now I'm training with my coach, but I understand that I need to be mentally more present, I do feel I'm improving in my fitness and speed," said Noorena.
"It is only when I can be best here I can think about the world rankings, while trying to help other athletes too. My activism is not just for my own betterment. I'll demand better facilities, better access for athletes because if I make things better for myself, I make things better for others. People are looking for inspiration, hopefully, if younger athletes see me achieve this, they will be inspired to bring a change too," she added.
While she chases a brighter future it is hard not to ask Noorena about why she put squash first, and her reply is the admission that squash player is her identity.
"I feel I have my own identity when I'm playing, I'm not some one's daughter, I'm not some one's Xyz, I'm me and my voice can be heard, I can make a difference through squash, on the court too and off the court as well, that is my identity."
At the end of the day sports becomes your identity. After meeting Maria Toor at Salt Lake City last year, although she lost Noorena said she came back having found a sense of community.
"I lost to a world number 45 player, but Maria was there and she said ‘play freely, I'm watching you, I want to see how you are doing in the match’, and that made me feel great. It is memorable because i played freely, I played happily, and I felt like I was understood."
22-year-old Noorena Shams has recently been appointed as the youngest member of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Sports Management Committee. The young athlete has been very vocal about the problems faced by Pakistani sportspersons.
Shams is hyperaware of the neglect ruining Pakistani sports. In her first meeting with the K-P Sports committee, she shared a 14-point draft of suggestions, voicing the need to address sexual harassment, providing health insurance, setting up facilities for physiotherapy and psychotherapy among others.
She spoke about developing an infrastructure to support the athletes of K-P, to ensure they have the opportunities to hone and perfect their skills and rise through the ranks. Shams understands her role fully well and the responsibility that comes with it. "I'm representing athletes here, it is about them, it is about me," she said speaking with The Express Tribune.
Her suggestions were surprisingly supported at the meeting headed by Atif Khan, Senior Sports Minister for Sport.
However, for the young athlete, that is only the first step in the battle to make a difference. The squash player will now be concentrating on policy-making along with studies and squash tournaments.
Having struggled to find playing facilities and being disappointed in the policies that prevented her from playing, Noorena suggested athletes should be provided with careers counselling.
Noorena says her real training has just begun after engaging Adil Atlas as coach. Earlier, she was turned down by the Pakistan Air Force Academy for not being young enough to be trained anymore and really had to fight for just the chance to play.
"I can say I lose, a lot, but I know that I can make a difference, so far I had been fighting just to retain opportunities to play as a girl from Lower Dir, to break that mould which was placed in my head from the society. I am now trying to help others as well, I know the system does not support athletes. Now we can change it, if my voice can help it to change.”
"I just want to say to my fellow athletes too and the government that I know what is wrong with the system, I know why I failed as an athlete for so long, I didn't have anyone to support me, but I'm here for the other athletes," Noorena said.
Much like Maria Toor, Noorena also had to battle gender bias at an early age. She believes women across K-P and other areas have to take the first step by just getting out of the house.
"Taking that first step is always difficult. Nne of my cousins was the only girl to have gone to a school where she was the only female student. It is taking that first step that is important. I have done the same, I go out in my tracksuit, I stopped wearing abaya (veil) over it in Peshawar, and I now hear that people want to see their girls play sports too."
Noorena’s love for sports began with cycling, when father, who was alive at that time supported her. When she could cycle openly in Dir. After his death and Taliban attacks in Dir, Noorena's family stayed in the region for over a year, where she couldn’t attend school. She eventually moved to Peshawar.
"It was a troubling time, we didn't know if we would live or die. With my father not around anymore, my mother had decided to stay back with a thought that it is better to die at their own house than to die elsewhere," said Noorena.
"I didn't go to school, I would play sports at home, but there was a lot of uncertainty, as a family we knew anything can happen."
So determined was the Noorena to play sports that she would disguise herself as a boy to continue playing cricket with the boys’ team. Her coach would cut her hair so she could carry on playing sports.
"I just wanted to play sports, and although I would've gone on to play in U19 women's team too, after being found out that I am a girl, and after playing with the boys so long, my mother told me to focus on studies and finish school first. I can say that my male teammates were still very supportive of me, and they never made me feel awkward or bad about playing sports," explained Noorena.
Despite her interest in swimming she had to abandon it due to overheads, however, she ultimately took up squash.
"Initially it was a struggle, but I know I just wanted to be an athlete," said Noorena passionately.
"I saw how people respected squash players, Amir Atlas I thought I wanted to be like that too, but I didn't know that even finding a professional coach would be difficult, even playing in the court will be hard, because I was not allowed to, I was overage for training, and then there were financial constraints. My mother even told me that it is hard to support a career in sports, but then from a young age I started to earn on my own, working as a cartoonist, then as a wedding photographer just to register myself with Professional Squash Players Association and then to play. I did find sponsors when I shared my story, but it has been difficult," said Noorena.
Noorena feels she has been fighting dual battles in her pursuit of a career in sports. The first one was with herself - pretending to be a boy and unlearning the 'traditional ways' that girls should be submissive - and the second battle was with the world, that she can play and make a difference as an athlete.
"I still struggle to win tournaments,” admitted Noorena, as she first went to an international tournament in Hong Kong in 2015, then to Australia and Malaysia.
However, she trained in the US last year for three months, after finding a sponsor that paid for her academy fee. So far she has competed in 19 tournaments altogether, she said.
Her aim as an athlete, she says, is to achieve excellence. She wants to win the national championships first.
"I've trained abroad and now I'm training with my coach, but I understand that I need to be mentally more present, I do feel I'm improving in my fitness and speed," said Noorena.
"It is only when I can be best here I can think about the world rankings, while trying to help other athletes too. My activism is not just for my own betterment. I'll demand better facilities, better access for athletes because if I make things better for myself, I make things better for others. People are looking for inspiration, hopefully, if younger athletes see me achieve this, they will be inspired to bring a change too," she added.
While she chases a brighter future it is hard not to ask Noorena about why she put squash first, and her reply is the admission that squash player is her identity.
"I feel I have my own identity when I'm playing, I'm not some one's daughter, I'm not some one's Xyz, I'm me and my voice can be heard, I can make a difference through squash, on the court too and off the court as well, that is my identity."
At the end of the day sports becomes your identity. After meeting Maria Toor at Salt Lake City last year, although she lost Noorena said she came back having found a sense of community.
"I lost to a world number 45 player, but Maria was there and she said ‘play freely, I'm watching you, I want to see how you are doing in the match’, and that made me feel great. It is memorable because i played freely, I played happily, and I felt like I was understood."