Doping: past, present and future
By Abdul Ahad Farshori
When Bono sang I can't live with or without you, people found it hard to associate the song with drugs, but as of now you take one look at the drug ridden sports and you may start getting the real context of the song.

Open Letter to the President of Pakistan
Yours Excellency,
I avail this opportunity to write to you an open letter to request you to save Pakistan cricket. By virtue of your stature, you are the Patron of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which is effectively in ruins at the moment.

Revisiting the National Sports Policy
By Aamir Bilal
A briefing regarding national sports strategy was given to the President of Pakistan on October 30, 2004 and the same was approved for implementation by the cabinet in July 2005. However, no worthwhile progress has been made since 2005 and sports continue to decline in the country.

During sporadic bursts which were brief yet forceful, Pakistani players enthralled sizeable crowds of French hockey fans at the Lille Metropole Hockey Club in what was quite a wet and cold first week of November in northern France.

In the process, they helped Pakistan make the cut for World Cup 2010 by winning the first of three qualifying tournaments in Lille -- a bustling city that is slowly becoming a hub of European hockey.

Also in the process, Pakistan showed glimpses of their past brilliance as they bamboozled teams like Japan --- the second seeds --- in a 6-1 mauling during a league game of the six-nation tournament.

Pakistan, record four-time world champions, went on to beat Japan again 3-1 in the final to avoid the ignominy of failing to qualify for the World Cup for the first time.

Though the World Cup Qualifiers played from October 31-November 8 involved teams placed below Pakistan in the world hockey rankings, the victory in the tournament was hailed back home as the beginning of a revival of the national game.

Pakistan have not won a major title since clinching their fourth World Cup crown in Sydney in 1994 and though they did claim smaller events like the Rabo Trophy in Holland a few years back, the Greenshirts have mostly flopped on the international circuit in recent times.

Pakistan did come agonisingly close to regaining the Asia Cup crown in Malaysia last May but lost narrowly to Korea in the final.

It is because of such dearth of titles, that Pakistan's hockey community celebrated the Lille triumph as if their team had won a major title.

"It is a happy day for Pakistan hockey," Qasim Zia -- the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) president -- told 'The News on Sunday', on the day Pakistan beat Japan to win the qualifying tournament.

"Today we've passed the first hurdle in our bid to regain Pakistan hockey's lost glory," added Zia, a former Olympian who was part of the national team that won a historic gold at the Los Angeles Games in 1984. Since then, Pakistan have failed to win the Olympic title.

Zia said that one of his cherished dreams is to help Pakistan win back the Olympic crown. However, he made it clear that the road to glory in world hockey is quite bumpy and Pakistan will have to work really hard, for a sufficient period of time, to be able to regain their place among the world's top teams.

"Frankly speaking, the standard of our hockey has really gone down in the past couple of decades and it will take an Herculean effort to ensure that we resume winning major international titles like the Olympics and the World Cup," he stressed.

Zia said that he and fellow PHF officials are eagerly making that effort but was quick to add that the federation needs support from all quarters.

"Hockey is not just for me or the federation. It is for each and every Pakistani and I'm sure that with a combined effort we can revive our lost glory."

Just weeks after winning the World Cup Qualifiers, Pakistan are now eyeing a second consecutive title next month. This time, they want to win the Champions Challenge in Salta (Argentina) to qualify for the 2010 Champions Trophy.

Apart from a surprise 2-3 defeat against Poland, Pakistan faced little problems in Lille but Shahid Ali Khan, their coach, has cautioned that his charges will need to lift their game if they want to win again in Salta.

"We want to win the Champions Challenge because it will confirm our return to the top-tier of international hockey," Shahid told this correspondent. "But I must say that it would be a tough tournament and the boys will have to raise their game to win it."

Shahid wants his boys to further improve their fitness, adding that Pakistan will have to work on deep defense ahead of the Champions Challenge to be played from December 6-13. The eight-nation tournament will feature hosts Argentina, Pakistan, Belgium, India, China, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa.

"Fitness is the key," said Shahid, one of Pakistan's celebrated goalkeepers and a hero of their triumphant campaign in the 1982 World Cup in Bombay.

"There are a few other areas that need improvement and defense is one of them," said the coach. "The defenders need to work on their tackling because that is one area they've been found lacking."

The Greenshirts will begin their title campaign in Salta with an easy game against Pool B rivals Canada on December 6. It will be followed by a tough match against hosts Argentina and their last Pool B outing against South Africa.

Pakistan's old rivals India have been bracketed with Belgium, New Zealand and China in Pool A.

The top two teams from each of the groups will play in the semifinals to be held on December 12. The event's final will be played on December 13 with the top two teams of the tournament battling it out for a place in next year's Champions Trophy.

After the Champions Challenge, Pakistan will spend the next eight or nine weeks preparing for the all-important assignment of 2010 -- the World Cup in New Delhi.

PHF officials want their team to do its homework ahead of the 12-nation quadrennial spectacle and are currently lining up matches at home and abroad to ensure Pakistan are fully ready for the World Cup.

According to Qasim Zia, efforts are on to line up a 'Test' series against India in Dubai and to stage a four-nation tournament at home ahead of the World Cup to be played from February 28-March 13.

"We are working on several options which include having a series against India in Dubai followed by a four-nation tournament in Lahore," said the PHF chief. "The idea is to ensure that our boys are fully ready before going to New Delhi for the World Cup."

Pakistan may not start as favourites for the World Cup but with match-winners like Sohail Abbas, Rehan Butt and Waseem Ahmed back in their squad they could turn out of the event's dark horse.

Sohail Abbas, world hockey's most prolific goal-scorer, returned to his brilliant best in Lille where he finished as the tournament's highest scorer. Team official believe that Sohail can prove to be their trump card in New Delhi.

"Sohail is without doubt a world class player and we are confident that he is going to click in the World Cup as well," said Shahid. "If he manages to consistently convert short corners in the World Cup then I'm sure we will be in with a big chance."

Sohail, regarded as the world's best drag flicker, said that he will try his best to deliver in the World Cup. "The World Cup is our biggest target and I'm going to give my best in it and hopefully play my part in our team's campaign in it," he told 'The News on Sunday'.

Zeeshan Ashraf, the Pakistan captain, told this correspondent that his boys were high on confidence, adding that they will give their best in the upcoming events. "There is a lot of determination and the boys really want to shine at the international level," he said.

With players like Sohail Abbas in fine nick, things are looking bright for Pakistan hockey as the national team prepares for the Salta assignment. Another title in Argentina will give it a much-needed boost ahead of the World Cup. One hopes Zeeshan and company will sparkle in Salta.

Football is a strange game. Players can at one point be at the top of their game -- everything that they touch turns gold -- and sometimes they just don't click; and at that point, their careers go spinning downwards which may be because of bad luck with injuries, a switch to the wrong club, a row with the manager or in some cases even, indulgence in the wrong activities.

Over the last decade there have been many players who promised so much early in their career and failed to deliver as their careers progressed -- talents that could not grace the heights those names like Zinedine Zidane or Paolo Maldini achieved. They completely lost their way and in the end, retired from the game on a very low note. Even though Zidane's last game saw him see red, the stage on which the French maestro retired was the World Cup final; watched by audiences around the world and at the top of his game. However, there have been players that could have gone into the annals of football history as the greatest exponents of the beautiful game but failed to make the cut.

For a football fan today, it is Cristiano Ronaldo who is the big superstar. But what about the great Brazilian striker Ronaldo who mesmerized fans around the globe in the 1998 and 2002 editions of the World Cup -- and won the 2002 crown single-handedly for Brazil? Five years back, it was "Cristiano Ronaldo, who?" and it was the buck-toothed Brazilian who was the hero of every aspiring footballer. Football is a cruel game and in Ronaldo's case, once he went down, it went from bad to worse. From a regular starter in Real Madrid's lineup of 'Los Galacticos' to a bench warmer at Real, before a spell at AC Milan subsequently took him back to his native Brazil with Corinthians. Just seven years after scaling the heights in Korea-Japan at the World Cup, the Brazilian was destined to end his career in oblivion.

For Ronaldo, it was a mixture of injuries and indulgence in drinking and partying that ultimately led to a decline in his performances. Former Inter Milan and Italy striker Christian Vieri recently revealed that he and Ronaldo were drink-buddies during the Brazilian's time at Inter Milan. With dwindling performances and little training, Ronaldo transformed from a football player to a heavyweight wrestler and even though he has targeted to win the Copa Libertadores (South America's equivalent to the Champions League) with Corinthians, a player of his stature deserved to retire at football's greatest stage. The pace, the dribbling and the innovation Ronaldo brought to the game is unparalleled by any other footballer and it would have been a joy to watch him play at club football's highest level -- the Champions League; incidentally a trophy that has eluded the Brazilian great.

Ronaldo's teammate at both 1998 and 2002 World Cups, Denilson, is another player who is now a forgotten man. DenÌlson broke the world record transfer fee when Real Betis paid Sao Paulo FC $32 million for his services in 1998. After promising so much, inconsistency plagued the Brazilian's career in Europe and from once being Europe's hottest property, Denilson became a liability and at present, the wing wizard is looking for a new club. Had luck been on his side, Denilson would have become the most feared wingers in the world of football. In a career which started so brightly, a single Copa del Rey medal in 10 years of club football is hardly any achievement.

Juan Sebastian Veron was the most expensive purchase in the English Premier League when the Argentinian was signed from Lazio by Manchester United for $28.8 million. An elegant passer of the ball with a great game sense, he was a treat to the eye when he was at his flowing best. In 2004, after Roman Abramovich took over Chelsea, the midfielder signed for the newly-rich Londoners. He found it difficult to find his feet at Stamford Bridge and moved to Italy with Inter Milan. The career that had so much to offer was in dire straits. In 2009, Veron captained Argentina-based club Estudiantes to the Copa Libertadores title and has somehow managed to resurrect his career but this talent certainly could have won a lot more had he stuck with the Red Devils of Manchester.

Another Argentine who burst into the scene with an array of great skills is Juan Roman Riquelme. The diminutive midfielder was signed by Barcelona in 2002 but his best came at Villareal where the midfield maestro almost guided the Yellow submarines to the Champions League final against his former employers in 2006 had he not missed the crucial penalty in the last-minute of the semi-final against Arsenal.

Regarded as one of the best midfielders in Europe at that time, Riquelme snubbed a host of offers from other clubs to stay with the Spanish club only for a bust-up with manager Manuel Pellegrini condemned him to warm the bench for half a season. Temperamental in nature, Riquelme has refused to turn up for the Argentina football team until Diego Maradona resigns as head coach and is plying his trade for Argentina's Boca Juniors.

It is not only the South Americans who have flopped at the peak of their careers. Dutch striker Patrick Kluivert, once feared as Europe's top marksman, failed miserably in his time at Barcelona before moving to Newcastle United where he showed glimpses of brilliance but failed to settle in the English Premier League. A transfer to French club Lille followed but a month into his tenure, Kluivert retired from the game.

In 2002, when Gaizka Mendieta joined Lazio for a record fee, he was touted to propel the Italian club to similar success that he had achieved at Valencia whom he guided to consecutive Champions League finals in 2000 and 2001. The Spaniard could never find the same form at the Italian club and was forced out to Middlesbrough where a succession of injuries forced him to retire from the game.

In the last few seasons, Brazil attacker Ronaldino was in the same downward spiral but he has managed to find his feet at AC Milan and by the looks of things, is managing to regain the form which made him one of the most lethal opponents during his time at Barcelona. Adriano had his problems with alcoholism at Inter Milan but the bustling striker has managed to put the Inter misery behind him and perform to his best at Flamengo. Scoring goals at will, the Brazilian now has Europe's top clubs taking a good look at the temperamental striker.

As a football fan, one wishes that players like Ronaldinho and Adriano retire at their prime and they fulfill the promise that they showed in their early years and not lose their way in the limelight.

When Bono sang I can't live with or without you, people found it hard to associate the song with drugs, but as of now you take one look at the drug ridden sports and you may start getting the real context of the song.

Athletes, sportsmen over the centuries have always looked for something, whether psychological, physical or spiritual, to give them an added advantage over their competition and guarantee them glory in their respective sport.

Starting from ancient times, in Sparta, the purpose of sports and physical activities was to develop a strong and powerful army. In Athens, the purpose was to develop the wholesome individual mentally, physically and aesthetically.

The era of the organised sports began with the first Olympic Games in 776 BC.

Historically, the use of drugs in sports can be traced to the first ancient Games where athletes used herbs and mushrooms to improve their performance. In ancient Greece, special diets and potions were used to garner an edge in competition. However, it was not until the early 1900s that the term doping entered popular vernacular.

Thus began the belief that performance can be enhanced by ingesting substances.

With the advent of modern Olympics in 1896 countries where no longer competing for unity, but they were competing to win, and thus show economic superiority.

In the late 18 century, there were reported deaths in sports as a result of drug use which can also be called the first reported drug-induced deaths in Sports.

By 1900 concoction of strychnine-(a very poisonous drug used in small amounts as a stimulant) and wine was used to delay fatigue in sports. By 1935 the use of synthesized drugs came into the fore. Also, in the 50s Olympics competing athletes were already using steroids and other stimulants, especially during the winter Games in Oslo, Norway. Several deaths of cyclists who ingested amphetamine during competition were recorded in the 60s. The cyclist died as a result of heart failure owing to the drugs they ingested.

Anabolic steroids which are mostly used by athletes and body builders were first reported in 1964 summer Olympics in Tokyo. This led to several records been broken indiscriminately, and drugs became the order of the day.

It was not until the 1960s that doping tests started to become available. Among the first to establish these was FIFA, soon to be followed by the IOC. This was to be the start of a new race between regulators and athletes. A growing list of banned substances on one hand and new techniques of evasion on the other. Athletes were still using banned substances at unacceptable levels. The decade closed with yet another death, that of Tour de France cyclist Tom Simpson.

Another boost to the arsenal of banned substances i.e. anabolic steroids gained in popularity throughout the 1970s.

This was followed by techniques called blood doping. These involved either re-infusing an athletes' own blood, some time after letting or using a blood cell producing hormone called erythropoietin. Either method improves oxygen carrying capacity and potentially boosts performance.

Doping cases in professional is a thing that always have been exist but it is only the last ten or twenty years that people talk much about this matter and the research of the last years makes it possible to find most of the different kinds of doping in the blood.

Testosterone was also used in the 8th century. The Ancient Greeks ate sheep's testicles which is also a form of testosterone. But in that time they didn't know that and research was also not possible.

Probably, the first real case of doping is noticed in 1904. Thomas Hicks won the marathon with the use of brandy mixed with strychnine.

The best known fact of doping is this one of Ben Johnson when he won the 100m at the Olympic Games of 1988. Stanozolol was found in his urine. Later, he also revealed using Dianobol, a steroid drug. But of course there are many other cases; too many to give them all, it happens in every kind of sport but in some sports more than others.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), an independent body created through a collective initiative led by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It was set up on November 10, 1999 in Lausanne, Switzerland to promote, coordinate and monitor the fight against drugs in sport.

As the agency a decade the problem, of doping, is still rife in sports and continues to haunt the credibility of the athletes.

Tennis, cricket, football whatever the sport may be, there are numerous examples of doping in it.

Even the regulatory body against doping is not controversy free. WADA's new 'whereabouts' clause has seem to have created waves of its own.

It requires athletes to select one hour per day, five days a week to be available for no-notice drugs tests. However on January 1, 2009 this was extended to seven days a week and unlike the previous system athletes have to be available for the full hour.

This has led to a legal challenge from Sporta the Belgian sports union who argue that the system violates European Convention on Human Rights.

FIFA is also preparing a challenge based on data protection and employment law.

A significant number of sports organisations, governments, athletes, and other individuals and organisations have expressed support for the new whereabouts requirements. The International Association of Athletics Federations and UK Sport are two of the most vocal supporters of this rule.

All-time tennis great Roger Federer has also expressed approval for rigorous testing saying that "the guy is cheating and they are smart, right?"

Both FIFA and UEFA have rejected the system citing privacy concerns, as has the BCCI, who are proving to be the only hurdle in the codes implementation in cricket.

Gone are the days when feats of endurance, speed and strength are blindly admired and draw gasps of awe. It's a shame. Sports today have become almost a spectacle and the more spectacular the display, the sooner the resulting speculation and innuendo.

A recent victim of the whereabouts clause is Yanina Wickmayer. She was suspended for one-year after failing to report her whereabouts to anti-doping officials three times.

Doping scandals involving Pakistanis

- Shoaib Akhtar was banned for two-year after a tribunal's report showed the paceman took vitamins and herbal medicines without telling team staff. The banned was later removed.

- In 2008 Olympics two of Pakistan's track and field athletes Mohammad Shah and Noshee Parveen were banned for using Winny and Nandrolone respectively. POA further banned them for two years.

- In Feburary 2008, at the Asian Indoor Championships in Qatar, hurdler Mohammad Sajjad became the first Pakistani athlete to receive a drug ban, for two years from international and domestic competitions.

- In 2006 there was a controversy involving Mohammad Asif after he originally tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid, Nandralone, before having a ban imposed on him overturned on appeal.

Further controversy followed when he was detained in Dubai suspected of having drugs on his person and was then found to have tested positive for a banned substance during the Indian Premier League.

Yours Excellency,

I avail this opportunity to write to you an open letter to request you to save Pakistan cricket. By virtue of your stature, you are the Patron of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which is effectively in ruins at the moment.

I am downright honest and pained to see Pakistan cricket getting lost in loads of incompetence. I am scathing about the quasi-feudal system that governs cricket in the country.

PCB, at the moment is being led by Mr Ijaz Butt, an ex-Test cricketer. Mr Butt besides redefining priorities and trying to get as much playing options for the national team was required catering for ensuring that cricket received the most it could for its facility-related opportunities.

also needed to identify monitoring techniques reviewing all aspects of maintenance and upkeep so that cricket could operate at highest capacity. He needed to evolve character of cricket management.

Of course, many factors impacted the challenges of cricket management in recent years. For example, the newfound corporate consciousness that emerged in the early 2000s generated an emphasis on operational efficiency. In addition, philosophical changes such as increased reliance on team work cross functional teams, and telecommuting created new spacing and infrastructure demands. Finally, the responsibilities of cricket managers continued to broaden into all areas of game's upkeep, including insuring that it adhered to international requirements.

The periodical and league tables of international cricket and the domestic game published by national newspapers tell a sorry tale of decline. Pakistan could no longer count upon even India, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, whose teams were once traditionally ground underfoot by even the second string Pakistan side, languishing beneath them.

By some estimates, indeed, only the Johnny-come-lately(s) Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Kenya could confidently be ranked below Pakistan -- and there is increasing reason to be unsure of at least one of them.

The Pakistan team, particularly successive captains thereof, are labouring under a handicap of what may kindly be thought of as apathy in high places but in some cases have transmitted itself as resentment.

Small wonder, then, that the last couple of years have seen Pakistan cricket slipping ever further from their once accustomed pre-eminence, spawning annual breast beating about the state of the Pakistani game, quickly replaced by mere hot air once it comes to people like Mr Butt.

It was time for him to deliver suggesting that evolving cricket realities in the realms of process improvement product marketability, speed to market accelerations, quality control and workplace arrangements and concepts had a big impact on future notions of cricket management.

He needed to produce human resource and then integrating knowledge workers into a dynamic cricket environment of global competition, technological developments, and changing values. Instead he failed miserably. Mr Butt's is a completely failed regime.

Cricket hasn't been able to become a metaphor as it slips into incompetent hands. Clearly, the tensions exist within this disrupted institution we call the Pakistan cricket team; but these unhealed mentalities are worse as we go, though we have greater cause to be disturbed by the culture of mismanagement that has permeated not only the financial business of the cricket establishment but has also virtually isolated Pakistan from the rest of the world due to an elderly chairman's intractability, his inability to understand the modern mechanics of sports management and also because of his evident failure to cast an impact on the leadership of the team and his virtual incapacity to run a corporate organisation such as the PCB.

I am required to outline clear and genuine views with respect to the uprooting of this low-productivity culture, and to offer suggestions for reform, the problem of determining whose product is Pakistan cricket, remains central to the politics of management and the economics of financial distribution. I need to put our predicaments on the table, and indicate wider parameters within which the discourse should take place.

I attempt defining more closely what we should be addressing. I need focussing on Pakistan cricket between 1952-53 and then again from 1986-87 until 1992, the golden years in which we could have been termed as a phenomenally talented team from a developing country; and I need using the entire period from the 1950s and 1990s onwards for the purpose of comparison and contrast. I should be suggesting that the performance of the teams both reflected and embodied some fundamental changes from what happened before, and that the character of these changes, which were mainly on field, ensured their institutionalisation.

Therefore, I use the term revolution mainly in a sociological or value-free sense: radical change that was brought about by and in the interest of a broad spectrum of the population.

I try emphasising one point. This revolution was limited, or perhaps this was its limited phase; revolution did not extend far beyond the field of play. However, I analyse this aspect of the revolution but because on-field performance could be influenced by administrative decisions. I trespass on the area of cricket administration-but only making a point in my argument. I need to go through the historic evidence to get a flavour of the comment and controversy surrounding certain decisions made by the PCB and its top-tier, as well as to fill in what turns out to be large blanks in my knowledge of what's happening, if not under my nose, at least in my general vicinity.

There are at least three indicators that could be identified; the team's failure when contrasted with the success of its predecessors; the low esteem and erratic politics ridden behaviour of the team with reports emanating that Younis Khan, their captain was an unwanted man and that Shahid Afridi was trying to make an impact; and the impact at home and abroad of PCB's wavery performances. These points need little illustration because everything is well-known.

Since you appointed Butt, at 71 the new chairman of the PCB in October 2008, subsequently, as it seems, Pakistan cricket has plunged deep into uncertainty and nothingness. On the face of it, it is merely another disaster that our national game is seen more often than glory barring brief periods of renaissance. Few have shaken the game up the way these two last regimes have done.

Cricket in Pakistan has come to a pretty pass. It is bogged down by poor governance, internal conflicts, contractual complications, dissent and weak infrastructure. And we have been vulnerable to terrorism that has winched any chances of international cricket returning to the country in near future.

And also, we need to realize that India has picked-up, not only as game's regional power but they have already been making an impact on the international stage; that is a dangerous trend since Pakistan was as important a cog in subcontinent's wheels in the 1990s.

It wasn't India but Pakistan that dominated the region. It is ironic that Mr Butt's predecessor virtually became a power-broker for the BCCI and on the contrary, due to his irking personality his successor has virtually alienated us.

Policies of the PCB merely scratch the surface. Their problems are much deeper, into the heart of the nation with its tiredness, into the past with their softness, into the present with its stubbornness, into the future with its lack of conviction.

Pakistan cricket to a disconcerting degree has been sustained by non-technocrats or elderly dense ex-cricketers like Mr Butt. Therefore, the system is deeply flawed. Most of these working their frameworks have strong outside forces.

Evidently the status quo does not address the real problem, namely indulgence, and therefore couldn't produce high quality products taking on the world. Mostly, this has been self-deception and cricket wrapped in wordiness and rhetoric. It is a question of outlook. The PCB had an abundance of resources and ability and both have been wasted. Until this uncomfortable truth is faced, until this weakness is corrected, every surge could peter out.

Despite a lot of talk from Mr Butt and his handpicked team in Lahore about searching for real solutions, no one grasped the nettle and introduced necessary structure to run Pakistan cricket and the team on really professional lines.

Cricket hasn't played even a marginal role. Pakistan cricket's horrible run, both managerial and team's performance is further alienating this premier national sport from the people.

In a country where cricket has historically served as a space for people for catharsis, inept management and provision of resource creates dissonance between the players and the orthodox. It is Mr. Butt's set-up's greatest disservice. The sad part is that there is no higher purpose involved. It is just the personal attitude of handpicked directors with powers to do the job that they aren't really cut for.

Understand that our cricket's is very much a monarchical society in which a strong headed, selected and not elected chairman, in whatever garb, believes he rules by divine right.

We have to see into the future by asking the following questions:

1. How could the governance of Pakistan cricket be made more effective?

2. How could the current performance of the flagship team be taken to a higher level?

3. How could the broad base of the game, and its immediate prospects, in the country be strengthened?

4. How could the fragile geopolitical base of Pakistan cricket be improved and secured on a lasting basis?

Mr President Sir,

It is time that you remove Butt bringing a change at the PCB. We need to affirm that the PCB has guiding principles of leadership, learning and impact. In everything under your patronage, we intend to see the PCB fostering leadership continually building on the knowledge and evidence they have and choose activities that have a high potential to make a significant impact. Pakistan cricket's rejuvenation would surely your greatest service to this country.

Yours faithfully,

Dr. Nauman Niaz

A briefing regarding national sports strategy was given to the President of Pakistan on October 30, 2004 and the same was approved for implementation by the cabinet in July 2005. However, no worthwhile progress has been made since 2005 and sports continue to decline in the country.

Sports remain at the back burner of national policies with little hope of revival and respite for the 170 million people of the country who love to watch, participate and play sports under all circumstances.

While revisiting the national sports strategy from its very inception, one can notice so many findings which are valid to date and even if one third of it is implemented, can change the fate of sports in Pakistan. This interesting story of national sports policy dates back to 1967 when the Government of Pakistan constituted the National Sports Committee under the chairmanship of A B Awan who was holding the office of Secretary of Home Ministry and Kashmir Affairs.

The committee members met all stakeholders including sports organisers, sports writers, players and representatives of education institutions and held consultative sessions in every province including Dacca and Chittagong. The discussions were frank and the extent of agreement was indeed, striking. The committee reviewed the performance of Pakistan from 1948 London Olympics to 1968 Mexico Olympics and the performance of national contingent in Asian and Commonwealth Games was also reviewed critically.

The committee concluded that our performance in international sports deteriorated since 1962, yet performances in certain games such as wrestling in Commonwealth Games and hockey at world and Asian level have been quite satisfactory. However, our performance in athletics was branded as "very poor". The committee also reviewed the progress of squash, cycling, cricket, football and tennis in the country.

A very valid suggestion in terms of specialised paid secretary for each sport was proposed and it was also felt that there was too much involvement of Government officials in sports. Although their association with the game as experienced administrators and policy makers was welcome yet it was felt that they lacked sport management and technical skills.

The committee thus recommended the strengthening of the Pakistan Sports Control Board as the central controlling, regulating and developing authority of sports in the country. Beside the weaknesses in the organisational structure the committee attributed the decline in sports to the absence of leadership in the educational institutions. It was thus recommended that provincial authorities should provide more funds and better playing facilities for the promotion of sports and games in the educational institutions.

It was believed that encouragement should be provided for the participation of women in sports as they are the first nurseries of sportsmen. The committee also recognised an urgent need for the establishment of Community Sports Centres in the congested urban areas with linkages to local bodies. Separate measures were proposed for developing rural sports and development and preservation of playing fields and open spaces through legislative measures by the central government.

The committee also recommended measures to cope up with lack of funds, ever increasing cost of sports equipment and proposed comprehensive methods for giving incentives to physical education teachers, sportspersons and organisations.

While concluding the proceedings the committee recorded that there was no dearth of talent in the country however there was lack of sustained and well coordinated action on the part of sports organizers and provision of facilities and patronage by the well to-do members of our society.

The critical examination of the committee report and recommendations that took place 42 years ago reveals many interesting facts. The most glaring amongst it is that Pakistan managed to win 39 gold, 44 silver and 31 bronze (total 114) medals at Olympics, Asian and Commonwealth Games from 1948 to 1968. In 1966, 5th Asian Games in Bangkok Pakistan won 2 Gold, 4 silver and 2 Bronze, yet the performance was not considered satisfactory as compared to 28 medals in 1962, 4th Asian Games in Jakarta. Above all it showed the resolve of the government that carried out such a cumbersome exercise with the help of best available brains in the country to ascertain the facts and gave solid recommendations for the improvement of sports in the country.

Followed by the committee report and recommendations a national seminar on the development of sports in the 4th Five Year Plan was held at the WAPDA House Auditorium on 17th and 18th August, 1968. A H Kardar initiated the proceeding which was widely attended by representatives of industry, education, journalism and sports world.

Mr Kardar disclosed that funds and allocations made by the government to sports organizations are not fully utilised. On the promotion of sports in education institutions the committee found that sports activities were not properly organized specially for the children between the age of 10 and 14, and physical education instructors were improperly trained to produce the sports nursery at school and college level.

It was suggested that instead of only focusing at national teams more attention should be paid to popularizing the games amongst masses.

Another suggestion was taking sports to villages to change their out look so that instead of indulging in feuds, litigations and other undesirable activities, their attention could be diverted to healthier and cooperative living.

While concluding the session, Mukhtar Masood Commissioner Lahore said that there are two alternatives before the nation. That all resources and efforts should be directed at winning medals abroad and the other was to give more people opportunities to play and participate in broad based sports activities. Most of the members agreed that the second alternative should be the desired end as this would serve the first purpose automatically.

The entire proceedings and its out come were submitted to the Government in the form of report of the National Sports Committee and since than no one know about the fate of that comprehensive report.

On 02 April, 1983 a directive was issued by then President General Zia-ul-Haq taking serious note of the decline in the standards of sports in the country. In the light of that directive ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism submitted a report to Cabinet in June 1983.

The 1983 report comprised of two parts. The first part comprised of main report which reflects a cross section of opinions and comments of knowledgeable persons and general public where as the second part of the report was an analysis of the replies to the questionnaire and the taped interviews along with the recommendations of the committee.

However, at this crucial juncture of the history a vital policy mistake had been committed in the form of separating the sports ministry from education, without devising means of coordination that adversely effected the development of sports nursery in education institutions which was already at decline.

In May 1999 the second National Sports Conference was convened by Federal Minister of Sports Mushahid Husain at Liaqat Gymnasium Islamabad. The theme of conference "Accountability in Sports" clearly reflects the deplorable state of sports affairs in the country.

Unfortunately, the result this time was not different from previous exercises as nothing tangible could be achieved at World and Asian level and sports continued its journey as a rudderless aero-plane from bad to worst.

The latest attempt to formulate a comprehensive sport strategy was carried out in 2003-04 when Brig Arif Siddiqui (Retd) was DG Pakistan Sports Board. A briefing in this regard was given to then President Perveez Musharaf on October 30 2004 in which the salient features of sports strategy were spelled. The plan of converting the Old Lahore Airport Terminal into a sport complex was presented and President was briefed about the Hero Card fund raising scheme for the promotion of sports.

This comprehensive policy was crafted with care and immediate and long-term objectives were spelled. Important shortfalls were highlighted. The allocation of development and non development budgets were discussed in detail. Remedial measures for improvement of sports in education institutes were suggested. It was decided that handsome cash incentives will be given to medal winners at international level.

This comprehensive strategy was approved by the cabinet in July 2005 but could not be implemented in true letter and spirit like previous sports policies and strategies. The sports dreams have gone sore and no silver lining is visible. The country's youth is in the grip of Cricket fever which is not an Olympic sport and does not fall in the domain of POA or PSB.

While revisiting the national sports policies and different other exercises from 1967 to 2008 fascinating ideas for improvement of sports can be viewed. One common factor that has been spelled as the root cause of decline in national sports standards from beginning to date is lack of structured sports activity in education institutions and community based club sport that serves as the nurseries for vibrant sports culture.

It is strange to note that despite highlighting this vital gap the sports strategies are silent about the detail blue print necessary to develop a broad and strong base of sports at the grassroots level. The reason is obvious!

Pakistan sports development needs a paradigm shift. There is a need to take the business of sport seriously as a human intensive industry and develop sports at all tears through a well thought plan.

In his marathon innings of 177 against Sri Lanka in the first Test at Ahmedabad, India's most dependable batsman Rahul Dravid joined the 11,000-Test run elite club, becoming the fifth batsman in Test history to cross the 11,000-run barrier in the process.

He reached the milestone in his 135th Test match. During that innings he also scored his 25th Test century.

Dravid with 11,038 Test runs is the second Indian who has scored over 11,000 runs in Test cricket. Sachin Tendulkar (12,777 in 160 tests) is the other Indian batsman and also the highest Test run-getter.

The other three players of the 11,000-run elite club members are former West Indian captain Brian Lara (11,953), former Australian skipper Allan Border (11,174) and current Australian captain Ricky Ponting (11,345).

Dravid is the perfect number 3 batsman. His determination is remarkable, he is capable of adjusting to different conditions. When he scores, India mostly win the game.

Rahul Dravid, 36, is a thorough gentleman inside-out; plays the game hard but has ensured that cricket remained a gentleman's game.

Former India coach Aunshuman Gaekwad once said, "Dravid is a role model, on and off the field. He is a perfect ten." But humble Dravid said that "I'm not a perfect man, no one in life is, but hard work and dedication is what it takes to reach milestones and a dream in one's life."

Dravid, born in Indore and now living in Bangalore, made his Test debut against England along with Sourav Ganguly against England at Lord's in June 1996. Both debutants made their first appearances remarkable with 95 and 131 runs respectively.

Dravid is patient, waits for the bowler to make a mistake in length. Frustrated, the bowler attempts something different, and if the ball is short Dravid responds with cuts and pulls. He has the selection to bat on green, seaming wickets with bounce.

In 2007 after England tour, Dravid surprised everyone with his unexpected decision of stepping down as skipper from the Indian cricket team. As per his statement for his resignation as the captain decision, he wanted to concentrate on his batting and was feeling more pressure after taking the additional responsibilities as captain that affected his batting. But cricketing circles think that it was not a genuine reason.

In October 2005, when he was appointed captain of the one-day side, he began with a thumping 6-1 hammering of Sri Lanka in a home series, and was soon given the responsibility of the Test side as well.

Before being appointed the permanent captain, Dravid led the country in five Tests, in the absence of the regular captain, of which he won two, lost two and drew one.

As far as Dravid's leadership qualities are concerned he proved himself so many times in spite of the limited resources especially in the bowling department.

Dravid led the Indian team in 20 Tests and 62 ODIs after taking over the captaincy from Sourav Ganguly.

As captain, he averaged 51 in Tests and 44 in ODIs.

Under his captaincy India won eight Tests, including series wins in West Indies, Bangladesh and England. In ODIs, India set a record for 16 consecutive successful chases. But the worst time came when India had a first-round exit from the World Cup in the Caribbean in 2007.

Before Dravid, India's most successful captain Ganguly was thrown out of the team in a humiliating manner; before him, Sachin Tendulkar stepped down as captain in an unpleasant way. Even before that, Mohammed Azharuddin was dropped due to match-fixing charges although there was never any proof.

Dravid is lucky in this way that he quit before facing an embarrassing situation. From the beginning Dravid emerged as the most dependable batsman of India and received the label of "The Wall".

Dravid picked up both the Test Player of the Year and the Player of the Year titles at the inaugural ICC awards ceremony at Alexandra Palace in London in September 2004. He was declared one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 2000.

Note: All statistics are updated after the first Test of India's ongoing series against Sri Lanka.