I believe that sponsors are not that interested in Pakistan’s boxing. India, Nepal and Sri Lanka have started producing better stuff than us. The PTI government has not only destroyed cricket but has also completely buried Olympics sports. Pakistan is neither England, nor Australia or India where the corporate sector is massively contributing towards sports develpment. In India star boxers get huge individual sponsorship deals despite massive state input. India was once much behind Pakistan in boxing but now is touching the world level. They did so due to state support. No sponsor will come unless you produce results at a high level. Pakistan’s boxing is gasping. It needs oxygen and only the state can resolve this pressing demand of the sport in which we claimed an Olympic bronze. We dominated the Asian boxing scene for decades.

Barring 2018 Asian Games and 2019 South Asian Games for which the state backed Pakistan’s contingent, we haven’t been participating in international events. This is really an alarming situation. Pakistan boxers are to participate in the world qualifying round for Olympics in Paris in May-June next year but PBF has no money. How can we ensure our boxers get the required standard training? It’s a big question.

If we don’t pay heed to this precarious situation of boxing we will lose the game forever as no one will adopt boxing as his career. Hockey died but the state has again started owning it and it is hoped that we will again be able to compete gracefully at the global level in a few years.

Our government gives boxing hall to British boxer Amir Khan in Islamabad but it is not interested in even financing Pakistan’s boxing camp anywhere in the country.

National pugilists trained at the Army Sports Complex in Rawalpindi for the Asian qualifying round for Olympics held in Jordan a few months ago. I don’t know what the IPC ministry is doing.

If the state does not come to support Pakistan’s boxing at this stage we may miss the world qualifying round. If Paris makes quarantine a condition for the visiting sides before launch of the qualifiers then PBF will not be in a position to bear the huge cost of its contingent.

PBF Secretary Nasir Tung told me during an interaction that PBF has nothing in its kitty and that he and the PBF chief have spent Rs9 million from their own pockets on various activities during the last few years.

He requested the government to at least give the federation training space so that they could hold a camp after the National Championship which the federation wants to hold in December.

“We are doing everything for boxing that we can. But it is too tough in the absence of sponsors and state backing. In provinces boxing is dying and we have to revive it and for that we will need state and corporate sector support,” Nasir said.

“You know it is our mission to revive boxing and enable Pakistan to return to Olympics. Had we got money we would have sent our top boxers for training abroad and we feel this is a big miss but we are facing huge financial problems,” Nasir said.

“We would try our level best and InshaAllah would be able to send a few boxers to the world qualifiers as we have already planned for that. But if we have to keep them abroad for an extended period - I mean for 20 to 25 days in Paris for quarantine as is being practised around the world - then it could be tough for us to meet that requirement due to lack of money,” Nasir said.

Pakistan last featured in Olympic boxing in Athens way back in 2004. There is an urgent need of framing a system which could streamline boxing in the country.

Balochistan and Karachi have a lot of talent but a solid strategy will be needed to groom the top talent. High performance academies are required both at Islamabad and provincial headquarters. We need a foreign coach for an extended period of time if we want to revive our boxing. We lack coaching expertise as we have only two AIBA three-star coaches. We will need to manage constant exposure for our budding lot. The IPC ministry should support the PBF in boxing revival which is a great sport and we can stage a fight-back in this game.

After devolution, provinces can play their role and they should back properly their respective boxing associations. Let’s fight jointly for the revival of this fantastic sport which made Pakistan popular in the past.

73.alam@gmail.com