PAKISTAN sports have witnessed a drastic decline over the last few years and the athletes bound for the Oct 3-14 New Delhi Commonwealth Games face an uphill task to better the 2006 Melbourne mark.
Pakistan fetched one gold medal, three silvers and a bronze in the last games at Melbourne, three medals less than the Manchester Games in 2002.
In Melbourne, Pakistan finished an overall 17th in the final medals table.
The size of the contingent this time is the same as that of Melbourne — 75 — but the disciplines have been curtailed from 11 to seven besides inclusion of two para-events of powerlifting and athletics. The disciplines include boxing, hockey, shooting, squash, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling.
At Melbourne, the gold and bronze came in the weightlifting through Shujauddin Malik in 85kg (gold) and Mohammad Irfan 77kg (bronze). The three silvers were won by hockey team, Mehrullah Lassi 57kg (boxing) and Irshad Ali 25m in standard pistol (rifle shooting).
History shows Pakistan joined the Commonwealth fold in 1947 and made its debut in 1954. Pakistan left it in 1972 only to return after almost two decades at Auckland in 1990.
In all, Pakistan has fetched 22 gold, 20 silver and 18 bronze medals in its 10 appearances in the Games so far. Pakistan's best performance came in 1962 when its athletes amassed eight gold medals besides a silver.
The Indians are hosting the Commonwealth Games for the first time since its inception in the capital New Delhi. The city had already played host to two Asian Games — inaugural in 1951 and ninth in 1982.
It is pertinent to mention that India finished fourth on the medals table with a rich haul of 50 medals — 22 golds, 17 silver and 11 bronze medals — at the 2006 Games.
Successful hosting of the Commonwealth Games will strengthen India's position to host the Olympics in future.
Tennis celebrity Aisam-ul-Haq's incredible performance in the recently concluded US Open has infused new spirit among the Pakistani athletes who may excel in the spectacle across the border.