There are four basic tenets on which a country’s present and future progress and pace of development depend. These are: education, human resource development, healthcare, and sports. Unfortunately, these are the most neglected and ignored areas of the country we live in. Let’s take education to start with.

State of education

As per the UNDP 2023 report, 27 million of our children have never been to school. That makes us the number 1 ranking country with the highest number of out-of-school children. Even then, we allocate a very meager amount to education. According to World Bank and Gallup Pakistan data, Pakistan's public spending on education was approximately 1.9% of its GDP in 2023 (as compared to India’s 4.1% for the same period). Next comes the HRD.

State of HRD

Pakistan is lucky to have a youth bulge with 70% of its population under the age of 30, representing the country’s most influential human resource. However, with a major segment of our upcoming generation being uneducated, this major demographic advantage appears to have been squandered away. It's like throwing away our pearls and diamonds into the dustbin, where they certainly do not belong. This alarming situation has been further exposed by the figures released by the Global Youth Development Index (YDI) Update Report 2023, according to which Pakistan ranks 162 out of 180 countries. This deplorable state is further reinforced by the Human Development Index (HDI) as reported by the UNDP 2023-24 Report, which places Pakistan in the low human development category, ranking 164 out of 193 countries.

Tragic downside
in sports

Having lost out on education and human resource development, we come to the third tenet of our national foundation: the tragic downside of sports. Sports suffer not only as a consequence of our failure on the educational and HRD fronts, but also because of a total lack of priority accorded to them. As today’s topic is sports, let's delve deeper into our shortcomings in our approach to sports management at the national level and the urgent steps we must take now before it’s too late.

Points to ponder on

Budget Allocation: There is an absolute need to understand the importance of sports for the physical and mental wellbeing of our youngsters, as they are the future of our country. Budget allocation is an indication of the priority being accorded to sports. In the year 2023-24 PSDP (Public Sector Development Programme), Rs 1.9 billion was allocated to the IPC (Inter Provincial Coordination) Ministry for all Pakistan sports, as compared to Rs 3.44 billion in the year before that, thus representing a drop of 44%. The allocated amount only makes up 0.0018% of the total GDP and reflects the low priority being accorded at the federal level to sports. Comparatively speaking, India allocated 0.011% of their GDP to sports (which is 6 times Pakistan’s 0.0018%). Prioritization through budget allocation and right spending does work. For instance, India won 6 Olympic medals in the 2024 Olympics against 1 medal by Pakistan (though India did not win a gold medal whereas Pakistan did). In the overall count, India has won 41 Olympic medals as against 11 by Pakistan.

The Affiliation Factor

Without this clearance, it is unlikely that embassies will process applications for visa-related formalities. Furthermore, affiliation with International Federations (IFs)—such as United World Wrestling (UWW) or the International Fencing Federation (FIE)—is essential for participation in World Championships and Olympic qualifiers. To secure this formal international recognition, a national body must first be recognized by the IF. However, these international bodies typically only grant membership or athlete licenses if the organization is first registered and endorsed by the country’s national sports authority—in our case, the PSB.

In the Pakistan case, the PSB grants NOCs to local federations against certain criteria. These include: (a) local federations are required to be registered under the Societies Act 1960 or the Companies Act with SECP, (b) must show elected office bearers, (c) ensure anti-doping compliance, (d) include at least 20% women in the executive body, as mandated by the IOC, (e) provide annual audited accounts, (f) should have held national championships during the last two years and participated in international events, and (g) must already be affiliated by the IOC recognised IF for that specific sport, as per the PSB’s 2022 constitution.

Certain clauses appear outdated and need revision. For instance, as per clause (g), local federations are required to be affiliated with an IF to be registered with the PSB. However, this creates a Catch-22 situation as many IFs would insist local federations must be registered with the PSB in the first place. In another scenario, there are a number of Pakistani federations which are already recognised by the respective IFs, even before the PSB endorsed their local registration.

National federations even receive invitations from UWW for wrestling, FIE for fencing, IMMAF for MMA, World Skate for skateboarding, etc. Athletes are invited by these IFs to participate in the qualifying rounds. However, for one reason or another, the PSB does not endorse their NOCs, thus resulting in administrative hurdles such as visa denials for such athletes, even after receiving official invitations from the International Federation. The net result is that either the athletes lose out on such opportunities, or end up competing under another flag such as the UAE. Many talented athletes, such as MMA fighters, skateboarders, and e-sports players, who would have otherwise made a name for themselves and for their country, end up watching tournaments on television. In short, currently, the PSB has registered/affiliated only 39 Pakistani federations to participate in international events whereas there are 53 such sports in which we lose out due to non-affiliation and no NOC awarded to them. There is an urgent need for the PSB to try and fill in these vacant slots and issue the necessary NOC formalities after ensuring due compliance with rules and regulations by the respective national federations.

Need for Re-vamping of National Sports Policy

The only well-established policy for sports in Pakistan is for cricket. Many other sports, such as those related to the Olympics, have either a very outdated set of policies or no policies at all. There is a need to review, formulate, and implement consensus-related policies if we are to promote sports in a planned and progressive manner along modern lines in this country.

The above are but a few of the aspects we need to consider for prioritizing sports. Beyond additional budget allocations and streamlining the administrative processes, we need to promote Public-Private Partnerships to secure funding, and provide incentives to the corporate sector for encouraging long-term sponsorships. It involves a dynamic program of integrating sports into the school curriculum and making physical education an essential part of childhood development programs. Other measures include launching nationwide talent hunts, training and development programs, and hiring national and international instructors to groom and nourish the talent along professional lines. By treating sports as a vital pillar of national progress rather than a luxury, Pakistan can finally transform its demographic "bulge" into a powerhouse of global champions.

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