Sporting failures

Pakistan's standing in the international sports arena has been abysmal over the past few years, with the country struggling to make a mark in various sporting events. Arshad Nadeem's heroics with the javelin notwithstanding, Pakistani athletes have struggled to make a mark individually or as part of a team.

It should also be noted that Nadeem's success is hugely anomalous - no Pakistani track and field athlete before him has been considered to be 'world-class', with success limited to regional meets. The only medalists in recent years have been Nadeem at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where weightlifter Nooh Dastgir Butt also won gold, and Shooter Kishmala Talat's bronze at the 2022 Asian Games, where the national squash and Kabaddi teams also medalled. As for the two main team sports - our hockey teams have been subpar for the past 30 years, while the national cricket team is in the middle of a historic downward spiral, redefining rock bottom every time they take to the pitch.

Given our population alone, there should be no shortage of talent in Pakistan, but development is another matter. Being a poor country is not an excuse. Many poorer countries are able to spot and develop talent, with world-class athletes then earning scholarships or sponsorships that allow them to access facilities that may not be available in their home countries. Despite the abundance of talent, the lack of support and infrastructure has hampered the growth and success of Pakistani athletes on the global stage.

The recent assurances by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to extend support to athletes is a welcome development, but whether or not the support will, or even can, be administered effectively is what will define success. At the same time, corruption, nepotism and general incompetence have become hallmarks of our athletic bodies, and reforms necessary to fix those situations have become near-impossible, as sports 'administrators' game the system to ensure they keep their jobs, despite turning their respective sports into international embarrassments.