Sports bring people with diverse backgrounds together and can unite nations. There is a famous saying that Napoleon did not lose at Waterloo but at the sports fields of Sandhurst, the Royal Military Academy. History is replete with examples of nations that excelled in sports and ruled the world also. Starting from the Greeks, the originators of the Olympic Games, to the modern age when the US, erstwhile USSR, Europe, China and now Japan have dominated the world politically and economically as well as in the sphere of sports.As an international level sportsman and having handled sports at national and international levels as an elected representative, I feel that the revival of sports in Pakistan is a possibility. It is not too late. The recommendations and the way forward as proposed in this article are not wishful thinking but have all been practised and implemented right within Pakistan and where needed at the international level also. The pre-requisites are sincerity, passion, devotion and above all team work.

At the national level, the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and the Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) are mandated to promote sports. But they are not optimally synergising their resources for the common end due to years old distrust and poor coordination. The POA from 1948 to the establishment of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) in 1962 was alone mandated to oversee the sports activities in Pakistan.

At present the POA is responsible:

(a) to oversee the management of delegations for the Olympic Games

(b) to develop programmes in coordination with its affiliated bodies

(c) to promote sports at various levels.

It is responsible for Pakistan’s representation at the Commonwealth Games and is responsible for organising the annual National Games. The POA has over 50 permanent, winter and IOC recognised sports with it. On the other hand, IPC, a product of the not so famous 18th Amendment, since 2010 is also mandated to oversee the sports matters within Pakistan. Under the IPC comes the PSB and its more than 40 affiliated National Sports Federations. The POA and IPC ministry get independent funding from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the government of Pakistan, respectively. Additionally, the POA looks up to the IOC for all its matters with least or no interference from the government. If the IOC sees government interference it bans the country like Kuwait in the past and Russia in Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Irrespective of affiliations, political divides, differences or likes/dislikes there is an immediate requirement that the Minister of IPC intervenes and meets the President POA with a single agenda to regain confidence and to synergise the resources for the sole purpose of development of sports.

The POA, PSB and others are constitutionally established entities with a strong democratic face. The democratic systems followed by the sporting bodies is as efficient or inefficient as the existing democracy that we witness at the country level.

Management of sports entities is no different to running the federal government with the 18th Amendment in place. The only solution lies in extensive communication, trust, discussions and mutual respect.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, the international sporting bodies are also not devoid of similar democratic practices when it comes to elections and countries with strong connections, deep pockets, greater presence and projection of the right and capable individuals get elected and later on influence matters for their country’s interests. Charged with the motivation to represent Pakistan at the highest level but with zero experience of elections, I ventured into the election process at the Asian Squash Federation in 2013 and got elected for four years by defeating a very powerful Indian nominee. Later on, I also contested elections at the World Squash Federation level but lost by a thin margin. These elections exposed me to the intricacies of the election processes with practical experience of all that we hear in our own country’s politics every day.

Bringing in international squash to Pakistan and many other achievements were then possible. We must cultivate, encourage and fully support capable and willing individuals to represent Pakistan. This is a long-drawn process. No short-term remedy will work. Democracy in sports at the international level is all about networking of mutually beneficial stakeholders while safeguarding national interests. Pakistan must develop a strong sporting alliance with like-minded countries as we have remained absent from almost all international sports forums for too long. The POA and the federations must work around the right individuals to represent Pakistan at the international forums and retain the slots with the passage of time.

Sports Organisations need enormous funding. Like many countries of the world, Pakistan should also pass a law under which private entities should be mandated to spend a certain percentage of their declared profit on sports and in turn they should be given a tax rebate. More public-private relationships should be developed as it was done during my tenure between a leading hotel chain and PSF. An agreement was signed to hold national and international events, a contract that has been in place for the last six years. Unless more money and incentives for the investors are there, sports will not flourish. Sports need to be commercialised with the already existing infrastructure put to optimum usage.

There is an ongoing debate in the country since the Prime Minister showed his aversion to departmental teams. Conceptually, what the PM is saying is correct, as the only way of reaching the grassroots levels is through the sports federations and associations. But do the federations/associations have enough resources? Do the associations have a structure to sustain the right human resource required to run the offices? Have the associations/federations created enough financial opportunities for players, coaches, staff and others involved. The answer to many of these questions would be a straight NO. Linking this situation with the present democratic system in the country will make it more understandable. Have we in Pakistan truly devolved our system to the grassroots level? Again, the answer is NO. So, expecting a miracle to happen in sports would also be unrealistic. While we continue to work towards an empowered devolution, let’s not close the inter-department sports. The contributions of PIA, PAF, Army, WAPDA, Railways, Customs, CAA, etc., cannot just be forgotten. Players need financial stability that can be supplemented through departmental support. A hybrid arrangement is suggested with federations and associations as the lead players and the departments providing resources in both cash and kind.

– Air Vice Marshal Syed Razi Nawab (retd) is an Ex Senior Vice President of Pakistan Squash Federation, Vice President of Asian Squash Federation and an National and International ranked tennis player

rnawab60@gmail.com

To be continued