THE recently concluded Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, were a revival of sorts for Pakistan, and a huge upgrade from the last edition when the country finished with the fewest medals in its history. The tally of 10 medals, two silver and eight bronze, is Pakistan’s best haul since the 2002 Games in Busan, South Korea, where it won 13. This showing is still a far cry from the 1960s and 1980s, when Pakistan ranked among the top 10 medal winners. However, it is a sign that Pakistan’s athletes and teams are making a comeback. The volleyball team’s bronze, with a convincing three-set victory against China, marked the first medal in the discipline since 1962. The national hockey team also continued its recent resurgence, taking bronze with a come-from-behind 5-3 victory over South Korea for the country’s first medal in the sport since the 2014 Incheon Games. The women’s cricket team also ended a similar drought by winning bronze, while their male counterparts’ silver was the first in the discipline since 2010, after they narrowly lost to India in the final. However, Pakistan’s kabaddi team saw its streak of making the semi-finals at every edition of the Games so far come to an end. That, coupled with Olympic javelin champion Arshad Nadeem’s fourth-placed finish, meant Pakistan missed out on increasing their medals tally.

There were other highlights, though. Ghulam Mustafa Bashir secured the first men’s shooting medal for Pakistan when he took bronze in the 25m rapid fire pistol. There were also first-ever medals in esports — a bronze in PUBG — and mixed martial arts, courtesy Asim Khan’s bronze in the modern 60kg category. Meanwhile, Noor Zaman’s and Ashab Irfan’s run to the semi-finals saw Pakistan win their first singles squash medals since 2010. Noor would eventually beat Ashab in their third-place match and the duo were part of the men’s team which took silver after losing to Malaysia in the final. Overall, the contingent’s showing represents a strong recovery. However, if Pakistan is to regain its former footing, it is essential that there is sustained investment in further developing sports in the country. Maiden medals in several disciplines are a promising sign for the future. Work should be done on not only building on that success but also ensuring that the standards of the sports in which Pakistan excelled continue to be raised.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2026