Masti Point

It was the Holy month of Ramadan in which Imran Khan’s tigers were crowned World Champions of one day international cricket in 1992. Two years later, the hockey team was crowned World Champion while Pakistan continued its success in squash with Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan into the 90s. Sadly, as soon as Jahangir and Jansher aged out of professional squash, the game went into a decline while occasional good performance is what Pakistan could give in cricket and hockey.

Ever since coming into being, Pakistan has had a good rapport internationally in sports. Athletes from the newly-born country participated in the first Olympics Games held after its inception while the country gained Test status in cricket within 5 years of being independent. Yet after ruling the world in some games and doing well in others, the progress has come to a halt. Athletes have started moving abroad like Snooker player Saleh Mohammad who represented Afghanistan in the last Asian Games in Doha while hockey players like Sohail Abbas prefer playing league hockey in Europe over national commitments, since it pays well.

There are many reasons for the decline in sports in the country, with education being one of them, since plays an important part in grooming athletes. A well educated, groomed athlete can have a different effect on those who participate against him/her or even come to watch them in action. A young girl in England is believed to have answered a question about Pakistan’s location in the 50s as the country where Fazal (Mahmood) lives. Such was the impact of the superstars of yesteryears, something which is missing in the current stalwarts.

Former Pakistan captain, hockey Olympian and one of the greatest sportsmen produced by Pakistan, Samiullah Khan feels that the standard of sports in the country have gone down due to many reasons. “In the past, we were among the few nations in the world that were crowned champions in as many as 4 different games. We have won 3 Olympics Gold Medals, multiple World Cups, Asian Games, Asia Cup and the Champions Trophy while came at number 4 in Asia as well due to our achievements and standards. In those days, the government supported the federations and sincere and honest people used to head them. Sadly, the sincere people have been replaced by controversial individuals who are not at all interested in improving the standard of the game.”

The Flying Horse might be right because in his days, losing a match was a big news. But now, winning against any side, be it strong or weak, is considered a bonus. “It is sad to see the game losing popularity due to the team’s recent performance,” continues Sami. “We came at the last position in the last World Cup, and despite that serving as a warning, the one responsible are still there, doing nothing and we are losing each and every event and tournament we are participating in. We don’t have any major title at the moment and if the government doesn’t appoint sincere administrators, we might never be able to regain lost glory in the game.”

Badminton may not be one of the medal-winning games for Pakistan any more yet Pakistan’s past in the game has been good, if not great. Palwasha Bashir, last year’s national champion and international player concurs. “In the last 60 years, Badminton has been through ups and downs. Currently, the scenario is anything but ideal since we don’t have sponsors while lack of funds is the norm of the day. Our past was glorious due to quality players like Javed Iqbal, Hasan Shaheer and Naqi Mohsin who were supported by the government as well, yet due to unavailability of funds and proper sponsorships, we have failed to move forward. Currently, we can’t beat teams like Sri Lanka against whom we used to have a good record.”

Although games are followed religiously in India and Pakistan, the pay standard is quite high in the former when/if compared. While the cricket stars in the country are getting paid in millions of rupees, the Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar are raking up in billions, because of their huge market, access and performance with the national side.

Recently the Indian skipper signed up with an Indian sports management company that would handle his endorsements, merchandise, corporate profile, patents and digital rights, as well as visibility on social networking sites. All for $42 million, and such a deal can not even be dreamed in Pakistan, because of lack of financial support, as well as due to the failure of international teams visiting the war-torn country.

Palwasha Bashir feels money as well as organizing events locally can benefit Badminton. “Badminton players like myself need to compete internationally to improve our rankings. Recently, we backed out of an international event since we couldn’t afford the lodging facilities, which very well can tell you the true picture of the game. We have good coaches and players as well, all we need is support – financially and morally – so that we can compete internationally. We need to have month long training camps where coaches of international repute can help us better our skills.”

Golfer Shabbir Iqbal feels the game needs to be promoted in a better manner otherwise new players will not come forward. “Pakistan has many talented individuals who are capable of doing well for the country. Yet there is no respect for the current players, something that needs to be looked after. New players will not come forward if the seniors are treated shabbily, and the current situation of the game is far from being ideal.”

The country has been grateful to the athletes by providing them a platform from which they can go and reach the sky. But sadly, some athletes haven’t been grateful to themselves as well as to the country in return. Athlete Naseem Hameed is one such example. After winning the gold medal in South Asia Games this year, she gave the victory-starved people of Pakistan a star, a reason to be proud of. Yet after receiving accolades from all quarters including the President and the Prime Minister, she forgot her duty to the nation and started pulling out of national and international events, the reason being lack of practice. Had she been in some other country than Pakistan, she would have been penalised for doing so, yet by winning once, she has immortalized herself as a superstar. No matter how she fares in the coming events, provided she participates, she will remain an athlete who could have done more. But she doesn’t know that the more you do for the country, the more it does for you!