Pakistan sports face huge challenges in the next two and a half years until the 2024 Paris Olympics. The next year is particularly event-packed as we have to field our athletes in the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Islamic Games. And then in early 2023 we are to host the South Asian Games which is the biggest challenge ahead. And by then Olympic qualifiers will have started also.It means the authorities will need focus in order to handle the things in the most appropriate way. But a big question is: whether we can cope with these challenges successfully? I don't think we are doing anything positive to cope with these challenges. The matter of biggest concern is that the government and the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) are not on the same page.

The cleavage between them is too wide. Unless it is bridged we will find the road to these events full of thorns. In a country's sports structure both NOC and the government bodies have their own importance. You cannot say that one is strong and the other is weak. Both are strong and at the same time both have limitations also. If these two bodies coexist the things will run smoothly. And if they are on the path of confrontation nothing positive can be achieved.

I have been observing the relations between these two bodies for a long time and it's unfortunate that there is always one conflict or the other. This is not the case of two or three years, but this confrontation has been affecting the country's sports for several years. The issue is if there is a communication gap the things will not move smartly and it may lead to a big mishap at the biggest stage as happened post-Tokyo Olympics.

If NOC does not support we can neither send teams abroad nor host international events like South Asian Games. If the state apparatus does not cooperate still we cannot do anything. It's high time for our authorities to end their confrontation, get united and start serving the athletes with full zeal so that they could be prepared rightly for the future events. Our athletes suffer because of such issues. It is because of the athletes that both NOC and state sports departments exist. We should remember this. If there is unity God's support will also be achieved. If our intentions are wrong we will always be in trouble. But the current situation is depressing and I don't expect that we can develop our sports this way. There is a huge need for a coordinated approach. We have even divided the media and every cordon tries to utilise it in its own favour. It's easy to put the gun on the shoulder of the media and fire. We know this art and we also know how these things are managed. Our sports authorities should serve as Khadims of our athletes, not owners. Unless we correct our thinking we cannot correct the environment.

This is not the way athletes are treated. We should look at the rest of the world how they look after their athletes and how we destroy their careers. Even federations don't care properly for their athletes' development. They also indulge in politics. There are very few federations which think professionally. The rest are doing nothing.

I stress again that it's high time for both the state institutions and NOC to join hands and create such an environment in which our players could train well for the upcoming events and produce some good results.

Pakistan is going to host the South Asian Games in early 2023 but till date we don't know where this biennial spectacle will be held. This is because of the strained relations between the country's leading sports authorities. We are short of time as a lot of work needs to be done on the preparation front and we should act in the right direction now otherwise we may also lose this big opportunity of hosting the SAG. We have twice hosted this event before but this time we should host it in the most magnificent manner. It will also be the election year so this event is very important for the PTI regime. I hope the IPC minister Dr Fehmida Mirza will marshal her troops well and taking the NOC into confidence will begin preparations for the SAG.

73.alam@gmail.com