Desktop Thinking

It can be said with a fair degree of certainty that the health of a country’s sport reflects the state of a nation. After all, sport at the highest levels of competition is, directly or indirectly, very much the affair of governments. Sport is also as much about money as it is about talent. Talent is God-given, but the nurturing of that talent into world class effectiveness is largely the function of money.

Countries that want to make their presence felt on the international stage often use their athletes as a conduit, as happened in the seventies in the Eastern European countries and more recently in China. And of course staging the Olympics is as much about power politics as it is about sport. China’s pretensions to global economic superpowerdom found their validation in the country’s hosting of the 2008 Olympics; Brazil, another emergent country determined to assert itself on the world stage, is set to host the 2016 Olympics. Then there are the aspirations of Qatar, a state determined to make its capital, Doha, a world class city. One has only to look at images of Doha’s skyline or at the architectural achievement of the I. M. Pei designed Islamic Museum of Art, to sense the scale of its ambitions. And yes, Qatar too has Olympian pretensions; it has a running Olympic Committee and there is every likelihood that it may be a contender for the 2020 Games.

Then there is the power of sport to pull a country together. This was most dramatically exemplified by Nelson Mandela and the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup. After South Africa’s triumph, Mandela was reported to have said that he had never been so tense in his life before. And he had every reason to be, for it was this victory that made the realisation of Mandela’s dream of building a ‘Rainbow Nation’ possible. And it was not so much the victory that counted (and it counted for a lot) but the fact that black South Africans almost overwhelmingly hated the mostly all white Springboks (a symbol of apartheid) yet found themselves united in celebrating a common (national) victory.

So yes, sport is a powerful conduit for effective nation-building. But sport at this level requires focus and single-minded determination by all stakeholders; athletes, governing bodies, sponsors, fans. It also requires a great deal of money and most certainly transparency. Pakistani sports unfortunately have rarely, if ever, benefited from the full complement of these conditions. For sure, a great deal of money has been invested in cricket, but this has never been done in an organised and systematic way that would develop the game from the grassroots up. Pakistani cricket talent – and it is there in abundance – tends to emerge in a completely ad-hoc manner, without there being any attempt to stream it through a system of organised junior cricket associations. The result is that, more often than not, the talent emerges in its rawest form, without the benefits of an early inculcation in discipline, preparation, physical fitness and mental strength. Added to this is the systemic corruption of one kind or another (money, favouritism, political pressure) across the board. Under these circumstances it is an absolute miracle that Pakistani cricket continues to be a powerful contender at the international level.

With cricket facing such issues, no wonder that the other sports Pakistan used to (and can still) excel in – hockey, squash and snooker – are in disarray. The money here is not forthcoming, and if it occasionally is, it is not backed by a consistent and long-term effort. The government of Pakistan’s financial commitment to sports other than cricket is ridiculously inadequate, while sponsors are looking for a quick return and are reluctant to commit to a long haul that could stretch over five years or even more. Added to this is the endemic corruption of the various sports associations with money going either into paying for over the top and unnecessary running expenses or directly into lining the pockets of their members.

All this is of course a crying shame. Pakistani athletes have time and time again shown that even with the barest of resources and encouragement, they are capable of surmounting impossible odds and soar (if only for a while) among the best in their sport.

Aisam-ul-Haq who made it to the 2010 US Open Finals in both the Men’s and Mixed Doubles. Naseem Hameed, who won the Gold Medal in the 100 metre event at the 2010 South Asian Games. Sara Nasir, who also won the Gold Medal in Karate at the same event. Mohammed Abbas, who became the first Pakistani skier to qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver (and how did he learn to ski? By strapping two planks of wood to his rubber boots). Aamir Atlas Khan and Maria Toor Pakay (from South Waziristan) who were nominated in 2010 as Professional Squash Association Young Player of the Year and Women’s International Squash Players Association Young Player of the Year, respectively by the World Squash Federation. These are some of our heroes in the making. By sheer determination, they were able to sustain the passion and find the belief to overcome the odds and make the breakthrough in their chosen sport. There are thousands more like them waiting to be discovered and given a chance.

The question is… how many companies and brands are there with the vision and commitment to overcome all that is currently (and now systemically) wrong with Pakistani sports and champion these heroes in the making?

First published in the March-April 2011 issue of Aurora.