Quetta-born Muhammad Waseem won the World Boxing Council (WBC) silver flyweight title after defeating Jether Oliva from the Philippines, making Pakistan proud.
Considering that he is Pakistan’s only professional boxer, Waseem’s win should be celebrated and supported so he can continue his journey to becoming the best in the world. His latest win is the fourth in an unbeaten streak of wins, the previous three all ending in knockouts, but sadly not many of us know of his achievements.
Thousands of people this week packed Pakistani cinemas to applaud the fictitious character of a wrestler played by Indian actor Salman Khan in his new movie Sultan. The movie follows the story of a wrestler who fights the odds to become the best in the world, and the crowds loved the story and the depiction of the underdog. While we cheer for such characters on the big screen, the real heroes of our nation go unnoticed due to the lack of appreciation and financial support for sportsmen across the country.
Waseem made headlines last year by maintaining that he should be given a chance to get trained in Cuba for the Olympic qualifiers, and was confident that not only will he “qualify for Rio Olympics 2016 but will clinch a medal as well.” Not only was he deprived from the chance to enter the qualifiers, only wild card entries have been allowed the seven participants representing a nation of 200 million in the Rio Olympics 2016.
A report printed in the New York Times yesterday titled, “Pakistan’s Paltry Olympic Team Reflects a Decaying Legacy” speaks for itself. Pakistan, a nation once known for its excelling sportsmen in the field of Hockey and Squash, has become a distant memory as the support for sports continue to wither away. Hopefully the government will realise this soon and do right by Mr. Waseem who has great potential and a bright future ahead.