Bronze medalist Kishmala Talat of Pakistan attends the awarding ceremony for the Women’s 10m Air Rifle of Shooting at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou. Photo: AFP
KARACHI:
Pakistan will head to the Asian Games in Japan with its medal hopes resting on a handful of athletes as years of underinvestment, late preparations and the absence of a sustained development programme threaten to deepen the country’s decline on the continental stage.
The Asian Games, scheduled for September 19-October 4, have become an increasingly difficult assignment for Pakistan, whose sports authorities are still finalising preparations for the national contingent.
Pakistan once competed strongly at the Asian Games, with athletics, boxing, weightlifting, wrestling, squash and hockey regularly producing medals. But while rival nations invested in athlete development, Pakistan struggled to maintain funding for elite training, nutrition, foreign camps, coaches and international competition.
The decline has been gradual but persistent.
At the 2023 Hangzhou Games, Pakistan managed only three medals, a silver in team squash, a bronze in kabaddi and a historic bronze for shooter Kishmala Talat. Talat’s medal was Pakistan’s first in shooting at the Asian Games history.
The 2018 Games in Jakarta produced four bronze medals, including one for javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem, while Pakistan’s 2014 campaign in Incheon yielded gold in cricket, silver in hockey and bronze medals in kabaddi, boxing and wushu.
Pakistan’s recent struggles were also reflected at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where the country won just one bronze in boxing.
With no clearly defined preparation plan for Japan, training camps began late, raising concerns over the team’s readiness.
Men’s cricket, squash, hockey and Arshad Nadeem are expected to carry much of Pakistan’s medal hopes.
Nadeem, the Olympic champion, will attract particular attention. He won bronze at the 2018 Asian Games but missed Hangzhou because of injury. The javelin thrower has endured a difficult spell in recent months, leaving questions over whether he can rediscover his best form in Japan.
Squash offers another realistic opportunity. Noor Zaman and Nasir Iqbal are among the players expected to lead Pakistan’s challenge, with the athletes also looking ahead to qualification for the 2028 Olympics.
Pakistan’s prospects in wrestling appear limited, with the Asian Games field expected to feature many of the world’s leading wrestlers. Weightlifters, meanwhile, are unable to compete because of the federation’s suspension issue.
Wushu, once a productive discipline for Pakistan, has also suffered from a loss of top talent and inadequate facilities and resources.
In boxing, female fighter Fatima Zehra made history with a Commonwealth Games bronze, but repeating that success at the Asian Games will be a major challenge.
Shooting could provide another surprise. Talat will be joined by experienced shooters including Ghulam Mustafa Bashir and Col Farrukh Nadeem.
Hockey remains one of Pakistan’s traditional medal hopes, although expectations have been tempered after the team finished 11th at the World Cup. The Pakistan Hockey Federation nevertheless believes a podium finish is possible and has arranged a training camp and three-match series in South Korea before the Games.
In kabaddi bronze is in sight.
For Pakistan, the Asian Games are no longer simply a medal hunt. They are a test of whether the country can halt a sporting decline that has been years in the making.
And with preparations already running late, Japan could prove another harsh reminder of how far Pakistan has fallen from its continental peak.
