Full marks to Naseem Hameed who won the coveted gold medal in the 100-metre sprint at the South Asian Games in Dhaka.

The young athlete has not just done her country proud, she has also offered a ray of hope to Pakistani sportsmen and sportswomen struggling against heavy odds to better their performance.

Above all, she stands out as a role model for the downtrodden Pakistani woman. It is heartening to know that she sees her victory as not merely a personal triumph; in fact, she is conscious of her responsibility to the sport she has chosen.

We hope that she continues to train vigorously and regularly so that she improves her own record. But it is also up to her to show other aspiring youngsters the way. It is indeed remarkable that a woman of modest means should have achieved the highest award an athlete can aspire to.

Credit also goes to her family for defying tradition and encouraging her in sports — an unconventional area for women in this country. The choice she made stands vindicated.

We also hope that Naseem's achievement will draw the attention of the sports authorities to their own failings, which are far too many. All kinds of sports have been grossly neglected in national life — the importance given to cricket does not compensate for the official indifference towards other sports, including athletics.

There is little encouragement of sporting activities in schools, and the civic authorities' hunger for land has led to the destruction of playing fields and open spaces where the youth could have honed their natural talent.

Moreover, there is no pool of athletes and players from which the best can be taken for national teams. In this bleak scenario, it is a freak occurrence when the Naseem Hameeds of Pakistan rise to the top.