The last few days were amazing for Pakistan’s sports fans. The country achieved some good results in the field of sports. Pakistan’s hockey team finished runners-up in the FIH Nations Cup in Malaysia. The Green shirts have shown signs of improvement and have given a scintilla of hope of reviving the country’s glory days.
Pakistan women’s cricket team won all five matches in the ODI World Cup Qualifying round, beating the more formidable West Indies and Bangladesh teams. Now, the women’s team will feature in the ODI World Cup in Sri Lanka. One can hope, after recent showings, that the women’s team will improve on their previous World Cup finishes. The men’s Volleyball team beat stronger teams like Qatar during their runners-up finish in the Asian Championship and have qualified for the World Cup. Despite a lack of funds, the Pakistan Volleyball Federation, under the guidance of Chowdhry Yaqoob, has done their best to provide good coaches to the team, and that has come to fruition. They will feature in other major events. The Under-19s will feature in the Junior World Cup in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, later this month.
Pakistan girls clinched the Asian Youth Netball title in South Korea by beating stronger teams. The squash team also finished runners-up in the Asian Championship in Malaysia, although they should have beaten India in the final. But it is still a commendable showing.
Pakistan women’s football team finished runners-up in the AFC Qualifying round, with some England-based girls playing for their homeland. The most eye-catching of them was Layla Banaras, who enthralled the crowds with some magical footwork. The women’s team showed that if properly developed through funds, they can go a long way in making Pakistan a better team.
Amazingly, Pakistan holds the distinction of being world champions in four sports in 1994 – cricket (achieved in 1992), snooker (Mohammad Yousuf 1994), hockey (1994), and squash (Jansher Khan 1993 and 1994). No other country has achieved this distinction. Little wonder, Pakistan was then known as a sporting country.
As a result of constant negligence, both from sports Federations and various governments, the standards dwindled. Pakistan has not won the Junior Hockey World Cup since its inaugural edition in 1979. Their last World Cup win was in 1994, and their Olympic gold was ten years earlier. Squash has lost its sheen with the retirement of Jansher Khan, whose last of the eight world titles came in 1996. But last year’s world junior title win by Hamza Khan and this year’s Under-23 world title by Noor Zaman have raised hopes that better results can be achieved.
But better results and further ascendancy in sports can only be achieved through proper funding. The annual budget for sports this year is 1.1 billion rupees, which is not enough. Hockey needs half of that which does not come their way. The recent Nations Cup performance can give Pakistan a chance to feature in the FIH Pro League, provided New Zealand, who have qualified for the event, withdraw. The Pro League exposure of playing eight top-level teams will lift the standards of Pakistan hockey players. In this regard, not only Pakistan Hockey Federation but national team captain Ammad Butt has pleaded for help. The Pakistan Sports Board has lent great help to the hockey team, but it needs more to lift the standards. The federal government and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, also the patron of hockey, should look into the matter.
PM Shahbaz Sharif is a sport-loving person. We have seen how he rejoices in Pakistan’s success in hockey and other sports. He encourages teams to succeed with his lovely messages. The PM must summon the officials of the Pakistan Sports Board, Pakistan Olympic Association, and the IPC (Inter-Provincial Coordination – which looks after sports in the country) and give them proper guidelines and allocate more funds to sports which have shown ascendency.
Sports have always given Pakistan a soft image in the world. The recent successes can further brighten that image.
