Sports have played a very crucial role in making nations vibrant and energetic. USA, China, UK, and other developed countries are advancing rapidly, and one of the reasons is their international status of sports-loving nations. Pakistan, unfortunately, is not anywhere in the international fora when it comes to sports. It has been 24 years that Pakistan could not win even a medal in Olympic Games. 

Recently, I just got shocked to see the statement of a fighting soul silver flyweight champion Muhammad Waseem who said that he might consider surrendering his Pakistani nationality and opting for American or Korean because of lack of financial resources. He has fought eight professional fights and got through in all of them. The situation of other fighters like Ahmed Mujtaba is identical; they are also waiting for government and private sponsors to sustain them. 

The state of every sport except Cricket is bothersome in Pakistan. It is time to invest in other sports or Pakistan will deprive of these striking players. It should be a matter of immense pleasure for the people and government of Pakistan that they have got new names in new sports. The players are doing relatively well, and they have made their names on their own at national and international level. It is obligatory on us – politicians, media, nations as whole, and other key stakeholders – to invest on and promote them so that they could bring more eminence to Pakistan. 

JUNAID ALI MALIK,  

Lahore, November 22.