June 8 is observed as ‘World Ocean Day’. The history of sailing in oceans/seas is as old as the history of mankind and was soon transformed from a means of transportation to a competitive sport. Sailing (also called yachting till 2000) has been an Olympic sport since the first Olympics of the modern era in 1896. However, the races were cancelled in 1896 because of the harsh weather. Since then, sailing has been a part of every Olympics except 1904.

Sailing debuted at the Asian Games in 1970. After an absence in 1974, the sport returned in 1978. That was the year when a vast majority of Pakistanis came to know that a sport called sailing/yachting even existed in their country. A few days into the Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand, headlines on the front page of newspapers alerted Pakistanis. The news in one read, “Pakistan’s maiden medal at the 1978 Asian Games has arrived. A gold in yachting!” The exclamation mark said it all.

The duo of Byram D. Avari and Munir Sadiq had won the gold in the Enterprise class. This victory heralded a glorious era of Pakistan sailing. From 1978 to 2002, sailors garnered five golds for Pakistan in the Asian Games, more than in any other sport in that period. Three silver and two bronze medals were also won. Four of the five golds and all three silvers were claimed in the Enterprise class. One man, Munir Sadiq, a naval officer, won three golds and two silvers to become Pakistan’s most decorated sailor.

Captain (retd) Munir Sadiq recounts it all to Eos.

To commemorate World Ocean Day today, Pakistan’s most decorated sportsperson at the Asian Games recounts the country’s greatest successes at the Asiad, which have come through the sport of sailing…

“Basic sailing was a part of our training in the naval academy,” he says. “I developed a special interest and pursued it after getting commissioned in the Navy in 1976. At the time, there were two active sailing clubs in the country, the Pakistan Navy Sailing Club and Karachi Yacht Club,” he adds.

In 1977, an international regatta was held in Karachi, featuring some of the top Asian nations. Pakistan entered with two teams. Pakistan ‘A’ comprised Karachi Yacht Club members. Pakistan ‘B’ comprised naval officers. The ‘B’ team finished second and the ‘A’ team came fourth.

Following Pakistan’s encouraging performance at the 1977 Karachi regatta, Pakistani sailors were sent to the 1978 Asiad. Six sailors entered in four classes. Munir was paired with the renowned businessman Byram D. Avari, the owner of the Avari Group of Hotels, in the Enterprise class, the most widely participated and highly competitive class in Karachi waters since the days of the British.

The pair created history and Pakistan won gold. Munir gives a lot of credit to his partner Byram. “His resourcefulness meant we didn’t have to worry about the equipment. He was very passionate and we practised a lot in the sea,” he says.

The next big achievement came on the world stage. “At the 1981 Enterprise World Championships in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, Byram and I came second to an English pair.”

Pakistan were again the favourites for the gold in the 1982 Asian Games. But a major change took place before that — the break-up of the partnership.

“Byram’s wife, Goshpi was already a very active sailor and had been winning events in national championships,” explains Munir. “The husband-wife duo began practising a lot together — it suited them well. Meanwhile, I also found a good new partner in my fellow naval officer Muhammad Zakaullah.

“In late 1981, an 18-member Pakistan team toured Bombay (now Mumbai). Two Pakistani teams participated in the Enterprise class: Byram and Goshpi and Munir and Zakaullah. We competed in two regattas in Bombay. Zaka and I won one event. In the other, neither of the two Pakistani teams could reach the podium,” Munir says.

Subsequently, the 1982 Asian Games in Delhi was Pakistan’s finest hour in sailing. Yachting contributed to two of the three golds won by Pakistan at the Asiad. “I was taken as a reserve sailor for the Avaris’ team. The gold medal in the Enterprise class was won as expected. In the process, Goshpi Avari became the first Pakistani female to win a medal of any colour at the Asian Games, a gold, which made it even more special.

“But the gold won in the single-sail OK Dinghy class by Captain [later Rear Admiral] Khalid Akhtar was a big surprise. As mentioned, other classes apart from the Enterprise class were not sailed much in Pakistan. He remains the only Pakistani sailor to win an individual gold in the Asian Games.”

Next came the Olympics. “Impressed by Pakistan’s resounding success in sailing, the Pakistan Olympic Association decided to send the sailors to the Olympics for the first time. It was destined to be a token representation, since neither the Enterprise class nor the OK Dinghy figured in the 1984 Olympics’ sailing programme.

“Zaka and I competed in the 470 class, Khalid Akhtar, Adnan and Naseem in the Soling class and Arshad Chaudhry in the Finn. We attained positions from 20 to 24, which was very much on the cards,” he says.

Nevertheless, Pakistan maintained its domination of the Enterprise class at the Asian Games through the duo of Munir and Zaka. “The 1986 Asian Games saw Pakistan complete a hat-trick of golds in the Enterprise class,” recalls Munir. “The late wrestler Abdul Majeed won Pakistan’s only other gold. In 1987, we three were the only sportspersons to be conferred the ‘Pride of Performance’ by the Government of Pakistan.

“At the 1989 Asian Regatta in Qinhuangdao, China, we were relegated to second place by India, compelling us to work hard and overcome our weaknesses. We retained the gold at the 1990 Asian Games, and I completed a personal hat-trick while Zakaullah had his second gold,” Munir says.

Then Zakaullah left the scene. “In the early 1990s, Zaka developed a back problem and had to leave the sailing scene. My partner later rose to the highest rank. Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah was Pakistan Navy’s Chief of Naval Staff from 2014 to 2017,” he smiles.

At the next two Asian Games, Munir Sadiq’s new partner was none other than his younger brother, Mamoon Sadiq. “Once, Mamoon, who was also a naval officer, took up yachting, we practised a lot together. The federation selected us for the 1994 Asian Games.”

But Pakistan’s 16-year domination of the Enterprise class at the Asian Games came to a halt in Hiroshima in 1994. “All good things must come to an end. Pakistan relinquished the title but in an honourable manner — we finished second. The next Asian games brought up the same result and with the same partner. Mamoon and I won the silver medal again in 1998,” Munir reports.

The 1998 Asian Games was Munir Sadiq’s last international appearance. “I was happy to see the continuation of Pakistan’s legacy in the Enterprise class. At the 2002 Asiad, Sheharyar Arshad and M. Riaz garnered silver for Pakistan. Unfortunately, it was also the last time the Enterprise class was a part of the Asian Games. Probably, the Asian Sailing Federation decided to omit the classes not sailed at the Olympics,” he says.

As for Munir, he concentrated on his naval career, with sailing as a hobby till his retirement in 2003. “The same year, I took up an instructor’s job at the UAE Naval Academy,” he says. “I taught naval subjects in the mornings and, in the evenings, I was the cadets’ sailing instructor. I also accompanied the UAE Naval Academy’s team to the International Inter-Academy Sailing competitions hosted by the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno. After 20 years in the UAE, I returned to Pakistan in 2023.”

Captain Munir Sadiq’s accomplishments are unique in Pakistan sports as he is the only Pakistani to have competed in five editions of the Asian Games (and as a reserve in a sixth edition). He is also the only Pakistani to have won a medal at five Asiads. The tally of three golds and two silvers is the highest for any Pakistani sportsperson in any sport at the Asiad.

The writer is a freelance sports journalist based in Lahore and can be reached at ijaz62@hotmail.com

Published in Dawn, EOS, June 6th, 2025