Lack of standard tracks hurting Pakistan athletics

There is no athletics track in the country on which any international competition can be organised. The one at the sprawling multi-purpose sports complex in Islamabad was laid 40 years ago. No international event can be organised on it due to its poor condition. The state of tracks in provinces is not much different.

A top official of the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) said if the government replaced the old track in Islamabad with any one of international standard then the federation could convince the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) to award Pakistan an Asian event.

“I can get an Asian event from the AAA if a high-quality track is laid at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad,” AFP president Maj Gen (retd) Akram Sahi told ‘The News’ in an interview.

Pakistan has never hosted any Asian Athletics Championships.

Sahi, who is the council member of the AAA, said his federation wanted to organise an international event. “I am thinking about it but it will not be possible without hundred percent support of the government,” he said.

Sahi said organising an international event would boost the country’s athletics.

Pakistan Sports Board’s (PSB) Director General Akhtar Nawaz Ganjera agreed that the Islamabad track was not good enough for international competition. However, he said, the Board had requested the government to replace it. “I have discussed the matter with Sahi. We have sent the PC-1 to the Planning Division and hopefully we will have a decent track in future,” Ganjera told this correspondent.

“We are also trying to replace the astro-turf of the Liaquat Gymnasium,” he said. “Boosting infrastructure is our priority,” he said.

Sahi said that Pakistan lacked athletics infrastructure which was affecting the game. “Unless you have quality infrastructure you cannot progress in any sport,” he said.

He said that the AFP was going to lay a track at Faisalabad’s Sports Complex with the help of the local district administration.

“The track will be imported from Germany,” said Sahi, who is from Faisalabad.

About Pakistan’s poor performance in athletics at the recent South Asian Games (SAG) in India, Sahi said it was not bad if seen in the context. “You know your whole system was after the AFP. And it was not only athletics but in other disciplines as well Pakistan suffered in India. I had stated well before the Games that the authorities had not properly planned for the Games and you can see the overall pathetic results,” he said.

Pakistan took 12 gold, 37 silver and 57 bronze medals at SAG. In athletics, Pakistan grabbed three silver and eight bronze medals.

This was the first time in the Games history that the country’s women athletes returned without any gold medal.

When asked why the standard of women athletes had fallen so much, Sahi said there were several factors, including cultural barriers which always went against Pakistan’s women athletes.

He claimed that his federation had not sent to India any extra official. “I am not in favour of joy-riding. We had sent only coaches with the athletes. And their selection had been made purely on merit,” the official said.

Sahi said that his federation would try its best to bring in improvement in the game.

The events for Pakistan to participate in in the near future are two-legged Asian Grand Prix to be held in April and May and Asian and World Junior Championships.

Sahi contested the elections of Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) against Lt Gen (retd) Arif Hasan for the second successive time. Arif beat Sahi to retain his seat for the fourth successive time.

(Source: The News)