Returning Nomad Games athletes complain of ‘lack of official support’

ISLAMABAD: Athletes who represented Pakistan at the recently concluded World Nomad Games (WNG) have expressed their disappointment with the lack of official support, forcing many of them to participate in the event at their own expense.

The athletes complained about the lack of assistance from the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), the country’s main patron for sports.

The Pakistani contingent, comprising more than 30 athletes, won three bronze medals and finished 27th out of 89 nations on the medals table.

During the six-day event, held in Kazakhstan’s capital, around 2,500 athletes participated in various nomadic sports.

Aurangzeb Mubashir, who represented Pakistan for the first time in Horseback Archery, said he had to cover his expenses, including the cost of the green blazer he wore during a parade at the opening ceremony on September 8.

Pakistan had finished with three bronze medals; players claim they covered their own expenses

In addition to funding his participation, he also sponsored a fellow archer.

Mr Mubashir, who had previously competed in the World Nomad Games twice under the Canadian flag, said it was his “long-held desire” to represent Pakistan.

“I always wanted to represent my home country. While I had full support from my coach and team in Canada, it was my dream to compete for Pakistan,” he said Mubashir told Dawn after returning to Islamabad.

Athletes shine at global stage

Both Mr Aurangzeb and his fellow countryman, Arshaq Naeem, not only qualified among the

top 40 horseback archers in the event but were also selected as Level 1 judges from a pool of 90 athletes.

This was a testament to their expertise as they were selected to assist the organisers during the games.

Pakistani athletes who competed in other events like strongman nomad, traditional archery, and mass wrestling had similar complaints, especially about logistics and poor hotel accommodations.

Dawn tried to contact Shahid Islam, PSB director general (Technical), for a response to the athletes’ complaint, but he didn’t respond to repeated calls and messages.

Earlier, at the end of the financial year in July, the PSB reportedly returned an unused budget of Rs380 million to the finance ministry, according to a source within the organisation.

“These funds could have been utilised effectively, but the board was indecisive,” the PSB insider told Dawn on the condition of anonymity.

Lack of recognition

A four-member team from Quetta also competed in the traditional archery competition.

Led by Sadiq Ali, the president of Pakistan Traditional Archery Federation, the team members hailed the exposure of the global event.

Mr Ali told Dawn that the team participated in the Nomad Games for the first time.

He added that the whole experience was “completely different” and boosted the team’s confidence.

Mr Mubashir, who is also the director of operations and organisation of the World Nezabazi Federation, said he has been striving to get the Pakistan Horse and Mounted Archery Federation recognised by the PSB.

“Unfortunately, the Board, which governs all sports federations in Pakistan, primarily focuses on events like the Asian and South Asian games,” he said while referring to the traditional sports events.

“We want to encourage young people to experience the excitement of horseback archery and adopt it as a mainstream sporting activity.”

The Pakistan Horse and Mounted Archery Federation, which was founded and headed by Mr Mubashir, has registered around 30 horseback archers.

The games, often dubbed the Olympics of the nomadic world, were presented as a celebration of the rich cultural heritage of nomadic civilisations and their unique sports passed down through generations.

While games like horseback archery, martial arts, falconry, and traditional wrestling resulted in stiff competition, the week-long event also included around 100 cultural events and performances depicting Kazakh traditions.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2024