‘I started swimming just for fun’

Kiran Khan, after 15 gold medals in the National Games, urges govt support.

ISLAMABAD: Swimming is a sport most Pakistanis are not keen on and despite non-existent facilities, the performance of Kiran Khan shines brightly on the horizon.

Aged just 20, Kiran has made the nation proud by winning numerous national and international awards, including 15 gold medals at the recently-concluded women’s swimming championship in the National Games.

Her father being her inspiration, Kiran, pursuing a sports medicine degree at the University of Phoenix, made her national games debut aged just under 11 and won seven gold, three silver and three bronze medals. She also became the first Pakistani female athlete to win gold in a South-Asian swimming event.

“I started swimming when I was three just for fun,” said Kiran. “In Pakistan, due to lack of swimming pools and female coaches, swimming has been restricted to the elite. “Unfortunately, on the government level, nothing is being done for the promotion of this sport.”

Kiran also has the honor of representing Pakistan at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was awarded the Benazir Excellence Award the following year for being the nation’s best sportswomen. She currently holds 12 national records and has won five gold medals for Pakistan in international events.

According to her, there are many female enthusiasts from mediocre families who want to make a career in swimming but due to lack of facilities and high membership cost at clubs, their dream has remained a dream. Facilities, particularly for women, are non-existent in Pakistan, especially for the ones coming from deprived sections of the society.

There are no female coaches, according to Kiran, and that made it difficult for them to learn.

“This is very discouraging for the girls who want to learn. They feel uncomfortable training under male instructors. The cultural context also acts as an impediment for many aspiring female athletes in Pakistan.”

While questioning the lack of facilities even in educational institutes, Kiran urged increased support in order to boost the sport in the country and for the country to be represented in international events.

“Such opportunities  can help our students get international fellowships and scholarships. It will help them polish their skills and make the nation proud.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2010.