LAHORE: While India is gearing up to show its presence in the 2012 Olympic Games, allocating an impressive Rs60.85 million to train 22 sportspersons of different individual disciplines, sports authorities in Pakistan are still to present a comprehensive plan to ensure the country’s maximum participation in the biggest sporting extravaganza.
According to latest reports in the Indian media, their sports ministry on Tuesday allocated funds from the National Sports Development Fund to encourage 22 men and women players, including tennis star Sania Mirza, to undergo extensive training abroad for Olympic qualification.
While the London Olympics is just 11 months away, so far Pakistan has only qualified for the hockey competition.
Olympic qualifying rounds for various other disciplines are still to come and Pakistan can qualify for wrestling, boxing and some martial arts disciplines, provided our athletes are given required assistance in the shape of funds and high-level coaching besides maximum participation in international events.
However, to one’s utter surprise, not a single combined meeting — to carve out a comprehensive plan — featuring the Pakistan Olympic Association and Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has been held as yet, a move that can give Pakistan maximum participation in the London gala.
This present dismal state of affairs openly indicates the lethargic stance of sports authorities in the country towards an event of this immense magnitude.
Recently, Pakistani wrestlers missed the chance to qualify for the Olympics, after the Australian High Commission did not issue visas to our wrestlers to participate in the Commonwealth Games event (a qualifying round for the 2012 Olympics) as they received the NOC from the Pakistan government late. However, two wrestling qualifying rounds are still to be held and Pakistani wrestlers can avail this opportunity, in an attempt to make London Olympics.
As the sports ministry at the federal level has also been abolished recently under the 18th Amendment in the Constitution, the PSB has to play a major role to motivate the interested sports federations to come forward with their plans for the Olympic qualification.
When contacted by Dawn, PSB Director General Amir Hamza assured that those sports federations, which believed they had the talent to qualify for the 2012 Games, would be provided maximum facilities. So far, he added, a few federations had offered their plan and soon a decision would be taken to assist them.
Meanwhile, the biggest beneficiary of the Indian government funds is their double-trap shooter Ronjan Sodhi, who has been granted Rs9.737 million. Among other shooters, former world champion Manavjit Singh Sandhu has received Rs9.195 million while Mansher Singh has been allocated Rs4.725 million.
India’s top-ranked tennis player Somdev Devvarman has received Rs3.96 million while Sania Mirza, Mahesh Bhupathi, Rohan Bopanna (doubles partner of Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq), Yuki Bhambri, Sanam Singh and 1992 Atlanta Olympics bronze medallist Leander Paes have received Rs3.696 million each.
The assistance sanctioned is towards extensive training abroad, engagement of personal coaches (both foreign and Indian), competitions abroad and scientific back-up in terms of sports psychologists, physiotherapists and masseurs.
List of Indian sportspersons (allocated fund in brackets):Shooting: Ronjan Sodhi (Rs9.737 million), Manavjit Singh Sandhu (Rs9.195 million), Mansher Singh (Rs4.725 million).
Tennis: Somdev Devvarman (Rs3.96 million), Sania Mirza (Rs3.696 million), Mahesh Bhupathi (Rs3.696 million), Rohan Bopanna (Rs3.696 million), Yuki Bhambri (Rs3.696 million), Sanam Singh (Rs3.696 million), Leander Paes (Rs3.696 million).
Discus: Krishna Poonia (Rs2.42 million), Vikas Gowda (Rs2.451 million).
Shot-put: Om Prakash Karhana (Rs4.81 million).
Gymnastics:Men: Ashish Kumar, Rakesh Patra, Alok Ranajan, Iqrar Hasan (Rs5.683 million).
Women: Dipa Karmarkar, B. Aruna, Rucha Divekar, Roma Jogalekar, Meenakshi (Rs3.308 million).
