Olympics Medals and Pakistan

[NoToIpL]

in 16 summer Olympics Pakistan got only 10 medals

3 gold medals all in Hockey

3 silver also all in Hockey

4 bronze 2 in Hockey and other two in boxing and wrestling

Pakistan havent won any gold medals since 1984
Pakistan havent won any silver medals since 1972
Pakistan havent won any medals since 1992


Pakistan didn't participate in 1980 Moscow Olympics

What is happening to youngsters no Olympic medals in last 20 years (basically 16 since this is not under way yet )

in Another hand India got 20 medals and 8 gold ones in Hockey :-(

[Smiling Creed]

Forget medals.....only genuine qualificiation from Pakistan was hockey team, rest all wild card entries.

I don't think there is enough support within Pakistan for sports other than cricket. Industries need to pump in money on sports persons to get the results in absense of govt sponsored initiatives.

[Strike!]

Cricket and hockey are the only two sports played seriously in Pak.

[classic]

I can seriously see our sports situation improving once Imran Khan is elected as PM of Pakistan.

[umarakmalrocks]

in 16 summer Olympics Pakistan got only 10 medals

3 gold medals all in Hockey

3 silver also all in Hockey

4 bronze 2 in Hockey and other two in boxing and wrestling

Pakistan havent won any gold medals since 1984
Pakistan havent won any silver medals since 1972
Pakistan havent won any medals since 1992


Pakistan didn't participate in 1980 Moscow Olympics

What is happening to youngsters no Olympic medals in last 20 years (basically 16 since this is not under way yet )

in Another hand India got 20 medals and 8 gold ones in Hockey :-(

23 now

[osee_bhai]

Quite depressing, even heading into these olympics we didn't really have any shot apart from our 7th ranked hockey team, which was a longshot anyway. Maybe in shooting we had a decent chance, but every other pak entry was a wildcard.

We can't just always blame our government, many poor countries manage to find a few successful olympians, look at grenada today get their first medal, pop. of 110k. Obv. government has a role to play, but there is more to it.

[Space Cat]

With the kind of bowlers you guys produce you should be able to uncover a great javelin thrower.

[AZulfi]

Not good enough. need to be doing so much better than this

I also think that team sports like hockey and football should be counted as 11 gold medals (all eleven players) and not just 1 gold medal. It is unfair that individual medals in athletics, gymnastics and swimming etc. are counted as separate medals but if you win a team event like hockey or football it is counted as only one gold or one silver despite all the hard work

[withlovefrom vizag]

^^^^^^ :)) :))

c'mon are u serious??

[Space Cat]

So your saying one event should be worth 11 times as much as another event?

Thats ludicrous. 1 gold per event.

[Space Cat]

And Pakistan would still have 0 medals ether way.

[Mohsin]

And Pakistan would still have 0 medals since 1992 ether way.

.

[iRfaN_LA]

Cricket and hockey are the only two sports played seriously in Pak.

Nailed it right there. Not even hockey, cricket is the only sport played which is taken seriously in Pakistan. Lack of good management/corruption is another reason, we are behind in sports.

[AZulfi]

It may sound ridiculous but the fact is all 11 players in a team sport are awarded gold, silver or bronze medals

[Space Cat]

.

Its really been that long?

[chui_kadoo]

Another poor performance in the Olympics again by our Pakistani athletes.

The only way we are going to get any sort of medal is if they introduce cricket to the Olympics.

Such a big country. Population of over 200 million and yet cant find any sportsman in any field that can contend for a medal. Pretty Absymal and totally unacceptable.

Lack of facilities cant be the excuse because Country's like Ethiopia are winning gold medals. What kind of facilites do they have that produce athletes that produce medals.

There are over 100 sports in the Olympics . Surely out of 200 million people they should find atleast one individual with talent in any of the sports that can realistically contend for a medal.

[pakistanalltheway]

we suck

[Saqs]

Not fussed in the slightest to be honest.

[AZulfi]

Another poor performance in the Olympics again by our Pakistani athletes.

The only way we are going to get any sort of medal is if they introduce cricket to the Olympics.

Such a big country. Population of over 200 million and yet cant find any sportsman in any field that can contend for a medal. Pretty Absymal and totally unacceptable.

Lack of facilities cant be the excuse because Country's like Ethiopia are winning gold medals. What kind of facilites do they have that produce athletes that produce medals.

There are over 100 sports in the Olympics . Surely out of 200 million people they should find atleast one individual with talent in any of the sports that can realistically contend for a medal.

Good point. It can't just be lack of facilities. Lack of sporting drive and ambition has to be a major reason

I think it has more to do with a lack of sporting culture (apart from cricket obsession) in both India and Pakistan

As for the bold part Kenya and Ethiopia push each other in marathons just like India and Pakistan push each other in cricket. Marathon running is big in those countries just like cricket is in desi countries, so most of their medals are in long distance running.

Moreover these people are built for running. I think it has to do with being a part of those tall, lean African tribes that are shown running with tall spears on National Geographic and Discovery.

[thelandofthebravepeople]

What if Shoaib Akhter was sprinter?

WE should be able to produce some in running, long or short don't matter.

Get a pair of shoes and run.

[cricketworm]

Lack of sporting drive is a huge issue.

We are still very far behind, but honestly, I saw really big improvement from India this time. Pakistan just need one breakthrough in any sport like India did in shooting, then we saw many shooters chasing that dream, now in every Olympic you will see at least one medal from shooting by an Indian.

This time the boxing fever is on! I see lots of Indian boxers getting inspired next time around and doing better. Seeing Saina doing well, I see improvement and chance of medal in badminton next time around.

Also, very surprise and pleased to see ppl making news in disk throwing!!

I see number of participants increasing step by step.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics

So, all Pakistan need is one breakthrough in any sport! You will see ppl getting attracted to it and want to make name for the country.

Btw. disgusted by Indian hockey team's performance and it's our national sport. :facepalm:

[James]

Embarrassing statistics, it's not like there is no money, more down to the lack of drive/aspirations and the general apathy. That's why you get comments like 'not fussed in the slightest'.

[Xoib]

I think instead of having token appearances in 4-5 different sports. We should focus on a couple of sports where we have a medal hope and look to invest in them. I would pick Boxing and wrestling as we have had some success in those 2 sports at the Asian and Commonwealth level and couple of Olympics later we could have genuine medal hopes in those 2 events, In Pakistan the funding for sports will always be limited so instead of spreading out the funding their should be a more concentrated approach to the utilization of those funds.

Thoughts?

[Bushroda]

2 words

"Investment" & "Infrastructure"

Rest everything will fall in place.

[Saqs]

Call it a lack of drive, I call it prioritising.

Our country is in such a wreck, it would almost be criminal to focus on getting Olympic gold.

[AZulfi]

Sorry not a good excuse. Countries politically, socially and economically worse than us have done much better in the Olympics.

Lack of sporting culture and general apathy are the principal reasons imo

Javed Ch. has nailed it here

http://www.express.com.pk/epaper/PoPupwindow.aspx?newsID=1101591900&Issue=NP_LHE&Date=20120809

From sports to social media to industry to religion to banking, I mean just take any segment and it is one sorry story

probably one of the most useless nations in the world but claims to be "the most talented"

[Saqs]

Ever thought why there is a lack of sporting culture besides Cricket?

[AZulfi]

not sure what your point is. messed up priorities and too much unnecessary blind focus on religion (not saying it is not important) has to be one of them.

[Amoeba]

I prefer this medal table which looks at GDP and population size for a number of reasons:-

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/datablog/2012/jul/30/olympics-2012-alternative-medal-table

No surprise India are bottom by poulation and pretty much bottom GDP wise. Of course at least they appear which is more than can be said for Pakistan. I expected Jamaica to head up both tables at the beginning of the games and I'm sure they will by the end.

It is a much fairer reflection. Team GB has done fantastic and that is great - but the majority of the medals are in sports dominated by money - rowing, cycling and equestrian, and where there are few countries participating. Not much in the main components of the Olympics - swimming and athletics.

[justarslan]

Pakistan need to resolve bigger issues like corruption, crime, situation in Balochistan, 20%, Pakistani Talibans etc before worrying about Olympic medals.

[chui_kadoo]

Sorry not a good excuse. Countries politically, socially and economically worse than us have done much better in the Olympics.

Lack of sporting culture and general apathy are the principal reasons imo

Javed Ch. has nailed it here

http://www.express.com.pk/epaper/PoPupwindow.aspx?newsID=1101591900&Issue=NP_LHE&Date=20120809

From sports to social media to industry to religion to banking, I mean just take any segment and it is one sorry story

probably one of the most useless nations in the world but claims to be "the most talented"
+1 totally agree

[Space Cat]

Well Afghanistan just won another medal. Same guy that won bronze in Beijing.

[Saqs]

not sure what your point is. messed up priorities and too much unnecessary blind focus on religion (not saying it is not important) has to be one of them.

They may add to it, but I still contend that our country has much bigger problems than worrying about Olympic gold.

To each his own I guess.

[OZGOD]

Sorry not a good excuse. Countries politically, socially and economically worse than us have done much better in the Olympics.

Lack of sporting culture and general apathy are the principal reasons imo

Javed Ch. has nailed it here

http://www.express.com.pk/epaper/PoPupwindow.aspx?newsID=1101591900&Issue=NP_LHE&Date=20120809

From sports to social media to industry to religion to banking, I mean just take any segment and it is one sorry story

probably one of the most useless nations in the world but claims to be "the most talented"

What a lot of the government beancounters don't realise is that sport unifies and galvanises a people. It gives a country something to rally behind. Sport breaks boundaries between people within a country and makes them proud.

[James]

They may add to it, but I still contend that our country has much bigger problems than worrying about Olympic gold.

To each his own I guess.


That wasn't your original point though, priorities. You simply said that you didn't give a monkeys - and I doubt that. As an Aussie you have more of a competitive spirit than that surely.

[James]

What a lot of the government beancounters don't realise is that sport unifies and galvanises a people. It gives a country something to rally behind. Sport breaks boundaries between people within a country and makes them proud.

Gold.

[cricketworm]

What a lot of the government beancounters don't realise is that sport unifies and galvanises a people. It gives a country something to rally behind. Sport breaks boundaries between people within a country and makes them proud.

Yup! changes the mentality of many individuals, who may have their personal problems, difficulties and pain. It's a great positive distraction.

[Saj]

0 medals is it at the moment?

[sa88]

Number of factors. Lack of investment and corruption being the two biggest.

Cricket is the only sport in Pakistan which has a market. It doesn't need government funding to survive as it has TV receipts and sponsorships.

Hockey has been Pakistan's best sport at the Olympics. The Pak Hockey Federation gets 500m PKR (£4m) per anum from the sports ministry because its the national sport. The other sports get practically nothing.

Lets be realistic about Pakistan's sporting chances. Sports like swimming, show jumping, cycling are no hopers because they require a very large investment. So Pakistan needs to focus on a few sports where there is potential.

Pakistan has a history of doing well in wrestling, boxing and weightlifting. These areas don't require a huge investment. Also, there are multiple events at different weight classes in each of these events.

Pakistan won 8 wrestling golds in the 1962 Perth commonwealth games. That shows there was historically talent in Pakistan. That talent can be grommed again and translated into medals but it requires support. However, currently there is no support provided to these athletes.

If 0.5bn PKR is all that the sports ministry can give, then the Hockey federation has to show where this money is being spent. The players are paid peanuts - even by Pakistani standards. Most of them don't have the right equipment. And they cannot afford a good foreign coaching team that knows about modern tactics and fitness. So the money isn't going in the national team. Also, it isn't going into facilities because all players complain about lack of facilities in Pakistan. That leaves the only logical conclusion that a large part of the money is funding the lifestyle of the PHF administrators.

If a similar investment was made and spent wisely in other sports I mentioned above, I guarantee Pakistan wouldn't have come home empty handed.

[chui_kadoo]

Grenada have a population of just over 100,000 and won 1 gold medal. Pakistan have over 200 million population and didnt even get close to a medal. In most events they came last. Just shows where we are.

Our fastest man in Pakistan ran 10.9 runs which is very dissapointing. When I was at high school my friend at high school ran 100 metres in 11. 2 seconds.

Cant believe out of 200 million people the fastest they have got is a guy who runs at 10.9 seconds.

Surely there is some sort of talent out there in any field?

[Indiafan]

Grenada have a population of just over 100,000 and won 1 gold medal. Pakistan have over 200 million population and didnt even get close to a medal. In most events they came last. Just shows where we are.

Our fastest man in Pakistan ran 10.9 runs which is very dissapointing. When I was at high school my friend at high school ran 100 metres in 11. 2 seconds.

Cant believe out of 200 million people the fastest they have got is a guy who runs at 10.9 seconds.

Surely there is some sort of talent out there in any field?

Dude, has to be faulty timing, 11.2 is international level

[chui_kadoo]

Dude, has to be faulty timing, 11.2 is international level
Yes he was the fastest in the school. Well it cant be that off. Most definitly under 12 seconds.

[Animal]

The fastest Indian men happen to be Anil Kumar (in 2005) and Abdul Najeeb Quereshi (2010 commonwealth games), who both clocked 10.3 secs. Good but not good enough to challenge the Jamaicans.

[Xoib]

Number of factors. Lack of investment and corruption being the two biggest.

Cricket is the only sport in Pakistan which has a market. It doesn't need government funding to survive as it has TV receipts and sponsorships.

Hockey has been Pakistan's best sport at the Olympics. The Pak Hockey Federation gets 500m PKR (£4m) per anum from the sports ministry because its the national sport. The other sports get practically nothing.

Lets be realistic about Pakistan's sporting chances. Sports like swimming, show jumping, cycling are no hopers because they require a very large investment. So Pakistan needs to focus on a few sports where there is potential.

Pakistan has a history of doing well in wrestling, boxing and weightlifting. These areas don't require a huge investment. Also, there are multiple events at different weight classes in each of these events.

Pakistan won 8 wrestling golds in the 1962 Perth commonwealth games. That shows there was historically talent in Pakistan. That talent can be grommed again and translated into medals but it requires support. However, currently there is no support provided to these athletes.

If 0.5bn PKR is all that the sports ministry can give, then the Hockey federation has to show where this money is being spent. The players are paid peanuts - even by Pakistani standards. Most of them don't have the right equipment. And they cannot afford a good foreign coaching team that knows about modern tactics and fitness. So the money isn't going in the national team. Also, it isn't going into facilities because all players complain about lack of facilities in Pakistan. That leaves the only logical conclusion that a large part of the money is funding the lifestyle of the PHF administrators.

If a similar investment was made and spent wisely in other sports I mentioned above, I guarantee Pakistan wouldn't have come home empty handed.

yeah awesome post historically we have been decent in Boxing and weightlifting more funds should be given to these sports we could have medal prospects by next Olympics.

[pun500]

I believe even afganistan got a medal this time...what pak first need to do is to get athletes to qualify..think about medals later. Having a pool comes first then the medals

We in India have kept increasing out pool esp for different sports (without much wildcards)

24 in 1992 ..0 medals
49 in 1996 ..1 medal
52 in 2000 ...1 medal
73 in 2004 ...1 medal
57 in 2008 ...3 medals ( the lower no was due to the hockey team not making it)
83 in 2012 ...6 medals ..our ppl have gotten better and are in the top league

THis is what pak needs to do put more people though ..medals will be a by produt

[AZulfi]

What a lot of the government beancounters don't realise is that sport unifies and galvanises a people. It gives a country something to rally behind. Sport breaks boundaries between people within a country and makes them proud.

Absolutely agree with you

The short answer is investment and infrastructure.

It seems that there are three ways to compete at Olympic level

1. The British way: i.e. pouring bucket-loads of money into it's competitors to enhance the performance. Britain has spent around £10 billion on hosting the London Olympics incl. preparation and security. They have been training hard for this event for 7 years. 16 years ago in the Atlanta Olympics, Britain won just 1 gold, so 29 gold medals (65 medals overall) represents a significant improvement by them at these events.

2. The Chinese way: 15,000 government-funded sports schools

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/where-winning-is-everything/985640/0

We are not just talking about infrastructure or including sport in school curriculums here but special sports schools. Scouting for talent and cradle-snatching the best-performing younsters away to a boot camp.

I bet the extracurricular activity in these schools is an hour of reading chinese alphabets.

3. The Australian way: where sport is culture and a high degree of emphasis is placed on sport in schools.

Australia could have probably done better in London but 35 medals (7 of them gold) is not exactly a failure for a country 1/3rd the population size of Britain.

Even so Australian Olympic boss wants even greater emphasis on sport in school curriculums
http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/national/coates-calls-for-more-sport-in-schools/story-e6frfku9-1226443769385

Australia are good not just in Olympic sports but other sports as well. They have been world champions in cricket and rugby. have done well in golf, squash (Geoff Hunt, David Palmer) and Tennis (Rod laver, Roy Emerson, Pat Cash) and are world champions in hockey. The only major sport where they have some catching up to do is football.

I prefer the Australian model whereby sports is regarded as an essential part of your life and education

Pakistan needs to be very professional about it if they are serious about winning some medals at the next Olympics in Rio. We should set up an olympic training center in Islamabad or one of the other major cities in the country. We should then hire foreign coaches to train athletes in the age group of 15 or so. But all this requires vision, planning & commitment and ofcourse money. I don't see it happening till someone like Imran Khan becomes a sports or prime minister.

[Amoeba]

I believe even afganistan got a medal this time...what pak first need to do is to get athletes to qualify..think about medals later. Having a pool comes first then the medals

We in India have kept increasing out pool esp for different sports (without much wildcards)

24 in 1992 ..0 medals
49 in 1996 ..1 medal
52 in 2000 ...1 medal
73 in 2004 ...1 medal
57 in 2008 ...3 medals ( the lower no was due to the hockey team not making it)
83 in 2012 ...6 medals ..our ppl have gotten better and are in the top league

THis is what pak needs to do put more people though ..medals will be a by produt

But still bottom by poulation and GDP. There is a wider issue that the SC with a population of in excess of 1.5bn does not have an appetite or aptitude for the Olympic sports.

[Kwremb]

But still bottom by poulation and GDP. There is a wider issue that the SC with a population of in excess of 1.5bn does not have an appetite or aptitude for the Olympic sports.

I think we South Asians are genetically not optimized for physical strength and I don't mean it in a negative way or as an excuse. Might be an underlying issue imo

[AZulfi]

If physical strength was the main issue then Pakistan would not have produced supreme athletes like Imran Khan, Jahangir Khan, Jansher Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar in cricket and squash (even more physical game than cricket)

It is true though that there is no serious inclination towards Olympic sports

[Amoeba]

I think we South Asians are genetically not optimized for physical strength and I don't mean it in a negative way or as an excuse. Might be an underlying issue imo

True - but strength isn't everything - the East African runners including Farah are testament to that. However we don't have a natural inclination to exercise or a love of many of the Olympic sports.

[Space Cat]

Dude, has to be faulty timing, 11.2 is international level

Its only international level for B qualifiers. My brother could run 10.8 in his early rugby days.

[Saqs]

That wasn't your original point though, priorities. You simply said that you didn't give a monkeys - and I doubt that. As an Aussie you have more of a competitive spirit than that surely.

Easy to be dismissive of something that is non-existant.

Ofcourse I would love for us to be up there with the best athletes, but realistically, it will not happen.

So, yes, I was disappointed somewhat that our Hockey team (read: our only hope) didn't win, but I am not going to lose sleep over it.

[OZGOD]

Absolutely agree with you

The short answer is investment and infrastructure.

It seems that there are three ways to compete at Olympic level

1. The British way: i.e. pouring bucket-loads of money into it's competitors to enhance the performance. Britain has spent around £10 billion on hosting the London Olympics incl. preparation and security. They have been training hard for this event for 7 years. 16 years ago in the Atlanta Olympics, Britain won just 1 gold, so 29 gold medals (65 medals overall) represents a significant improvement by them at these events.

2. The Chinese way: 15,000 government-funded sports schools

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/where-winning-is-everything/985640/0

We are not just talking about infrastructure or including sport in school curriculums here but special sports schools. Scouting for talent and cradle-snatching the best-performing younsters away to a boot camp.

I bet the extracurricular activity in these schools is an hour of reading chinese alphabets.

3. The Australian way: where sport is culture and a high degree of emphasis is placed on sport in schools.

Australia could have probably done better in London but 35 medals (7 of them gold) is not exactly a failure for a country 1/3rd the population size of Britain.

Even so Australian Olympic boss wants even greater emphasis on sport in school curriculums
http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/national/coates-calls-for-more-sport-in-schools/story-e6frfku9-1226443769385

Australia are good not just in Olympic sports but other sports as well. They have been world champions in cricket and rugby. have done well in golf, squash (Geoff Hunt, David Palmer) and Tennis (Rod laver, Roy Emerson, Pat Cash) and are world champions in hockey. The only major sport where they have some catching up to do is football.

I prefer the Australian model whereby sports is regarded as an essential part of your life and education

Pakistan needs to be very professional about it if they are serious about winning some medals at the next Olympics in Rio. We should set up an olympic training center in Islamabad or one of the other major cities in the country. We should then hire foreign coaches to train athletes in the age group of 15 or so. But all this requires vision, planning & commitment and ofcourse money. I don't see it happening till someone like Imran Khan becomes a sports or prime minister.

Or...pick a few sports and pour money into those and focus on those. Pick sports that Pakistan are traditionally good at, like hockey and wrestling, and focus on those. It's a start, which may lead to something bigger. It's about creating a culture of excellence in sports. Start small and then build on successes.

[OZGOD]

I think we South Asians are genetically not optimized for physical strength and I don't mean it in a negative way or as an excuse. Might be an underlying issue imo

That's bollux. I feel like South Asians are actually physically stronger than Southeast Asians like South Koreans and Chinese. It's all about a) preparation; b) investment in infrastructure and training; c) athletic commitment; and d) government support.

[Amoeba]

That's bollux. I feel like South Asians are actually physically stronger than Southeast Asians like South Koreans and Chinese. It's all about a) preparation; b) investment in infrastructure and training; c) athletic commitment; and d) government support.

Maybe - but not sure how much investment in infrastructure and government support there is in places such as Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia but still produce fantastic long distance runners.

[LethalSami]

Maybe - but not sure how much investment in infrastructure and government support there is in places such as Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia but still produce fantastic long distance runners.

thats the only sport they excel at.

it has to do with their culture and lack of water there. they have to run a lot (in heat) just to fetch water.
it comes naturally for them. its a necessity, for survival.

now if corruption was a sport at olympics, we'd be PWNing that :zardari

[Amoeba]

thats the only sport they excel at.

it has to do with their culture and lack of water there. they have to run a lot (in heat) just to fetch water.
it comes naturally for them. its a necessity, for survival.

now if corruption was a sport at olympics, we'd be PWNing that :zardari

In essence that is my point - culture. Nature v Nurture. There is partly a genetic reasons why a tiny island like Jamaica can produce so many sprinters - some who came to the US, UK etc. Similarly long distance runners in Africa.

Money matters in Equestrian, Cycling and rowing - hence the UK can throw investment into those sports and get results - particularly as few nations take part.

We would probably come second to Nigeria in corruption but only because they paid us to lose.

[Kwremb]

Genetics/DNA whatever you want to call it does play a role IMO otherwise why would all the long and short distance races be dominated by people of African origin without any huge spending/investment etc.?

[ElRaja]

Dude, has to be faulty timing, 11.2 is international level

not necessarily, i knew one or two boys in school who ran low 11s, and quite a few who could run around 12.

[Kwremb]

11s isn't anything special, quite a few school kids could do that and my 15 year old cousin could run in low 12s

[withlovefrom vizag]

kenyans and ethiopians win medals in marathons and long distance categories b'coz their genetic make up is perfect for those races...they win medals on their own,govt has nothing to do with it

[Space Cat]

They also win middle distance races which is a different beast.

[cricketworm]

I used to run 100m in 12 sec. when I was 15. And I came 4th in the tourny. Means there were handful of schoolmates who were faster than 12 sec.

I reckon I can still touch 11 sec. if I train for few days.

However, I must admit that it's easier said than done at international level. 100 m is the most competitive sport in the world hands down.

[pun500]

But still bottom by poulation and GDP. There is a wider issue that the SC with a population of in excess of 1.5bn does not have an appetite or aptitude for the Olympic sports.
People first try and think about their future and then worry about sports.

Genetic predisposition is also wrong...its all about diet and training sure right genes will give you a leg up but you need to have some freak genes like bolt to just that statement and that doesnt happen with everyone

[pun500]

Genetics/DNA whatever you want to call it does play a role IMO otherwise why would all the long and short distance races be dominated by people of African origin without any huge spending/investment etc.?
Not true ...kenyans and ethopians etc have a culture of going long distances to get some basic needs. Its gets their body attuned to the hardships from begining.

Get a kenyan child and raise in US it wont become a marathon runner. Please note when i say child I mean around 5-6 years old.

[MattyB]

Not true ...kenyans and ethopians etc have a culture of going long distances to get some basic needs. Its gets their body attuned to the hardships from begining.

Get a kenyan child and raise in US it wont become a marathon runner. Please note when i say child I mean around 5-6 years old.

Mo Farah moved from Somalia to the UK aged 8 and he is the 5000m Olympic champion..

[Faisalabad]

came across this good article by Fahd Hussain.. its down to lack of leadership and vision.

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/columns/13-Aug-2012/our-olympian-depths

We got sunk in swimming, run down in running, shot down in shooting and hammered in hockey. This then is the long and short of Pakistan’s Olympic dreams.
So what else is new?
For us, London 2012 was a microcosm of World 2012 – a grey, gloomy and dark place for a country which is overpopulated and underfed. Like our athletes, the whole nation is surviving on the global stage as a wildcard entry. Sure, we make the headlines and even the front pages, but again like our swimmers, runners and shooters, we rarely survive the heats and end up limping back to the dressing room while others wave to the world from victory stands.
The story of our Olympic woes, is the story of our national woes. It is a story told and re-told every day in drawing room fables, roadside narratives and talk show tales.
The chronicles we weave so lovingly paint a photoshopped reality of the state we live in; a fiction we so desperately want to believe that often we end up doing exactly that. The epic disaster at the London games may have shocked us, but clearly not enough to exit our fairytale-land.
This then is the problem: We are told the fiction that our swimmer sunk because we don’t have enough pools; our runner got run down because we can’t afford world-class coaches, our shooter shot himself in the foot because he is not provided a competitive environment; and our hockey got clobbered because we can’t cope with technology – it is an endless list of half-baked explanations and half-cooked justifications which point to one, and only one depressing conclusion: we cannot face the hard truth.
This hard truth is right here, bang centre in front of our eyes, but we seem to look through it. Prisoners of our own “Once Upon a Time” narrative, we still tell ourselves we can win gold medals and smash world records if, and only if, we turn more sincere and spend more money.
Right. Humpty Dumpty believed he could never fall off the wall.
Our sports scene is one big messy heap surrounded by a stench of failed policies shoddily crafted by pseudo-experts and backed by their myopic official sponsors. Yes there’s big talk and bigger claims; yes there’s tall pronouncements and taller promises; and yes for sure there’s a veritable army of ministers, secretaries, director generals, patrons, managers and assorted hanger-ons who lap up financial crumbs like starved puppies and wag their tails in delight. But one thing is missing:
Vision.
And as always, the vision comes from the top. One man, one job, one target. Simple.
The President of the country has to issue a notification which may go something like this: “I hereby appoint Mr/Ms so-and-so as the new Sports Czar of Pakistan with the status of a Federal Minister. All sports affairs and all sports organisations at all levels will fall in his domain. I vest in him all powers necessary to achieve the target assigned to him within the stipulated timeframe. The target is ten gold/silver/bronze medals for Pakistan in the 2016 Olympics. He/she will be solely responsible for success, and for failure with attached glory – or shame.”
Godspeed.
The first task of the Sports Czar will be to cut through the crap and grasp the hard truth. His mission then will be to slash and burn the corrupt, incompetent and useless sports bureaucracy that has stifled talent and promoted petty self-interest. The Czar will need to decapitate fat cats with fancy titles, fancier job descriptions and fanciful ideas dressed up as policy.
Then the Czar has to undertake one trip, and one trip only: China. Other than emerging as a global sporting powerhouse, China is one country that has helped Pakistan in virtually everything that is strategically vital to us – nuclear development, defence production, infrastructure development, ports and shipping and much more. Why not sports then?
Can we afford the expense required? Absolutely. For starters, a major re-prioritisation is required. Junk hockey. Millions of rupees are spent on a team that has clearly fallen of the ledge. And plus, all that money, all those astroturfs, all these officials and experts crawling out of the woodwork, all that petty politics and ego-clashes, all of this for what? One medal!
Contrast this with the glorious possibilities that await us in individual sports like track and field, swimming, boxing, weightlifting, rowing, archery, wrestling, judo, gymnastics. And all this at a fraction of the cost incurred on team sports. But all this boils down to one man with one target and one vision, insulated from political pressures and petty politics.
In the national scheme of things, this is a miniscule project. But the payoffs are great. We can continue battling the demons of the Democracy project and its governance off-shoots like the energy crisis, we can continue crossing swords with perennial problems of poverty, illiteracy and economic stagnation, but the Sports Czar can produce timebound results which will generate national and international dividends and spur hope where none exists today.
We have the talent, we have the manpower (180 million strong), we have the youth bulge and the demographic dividend, we have the hunger for glory and a thirst for medals. All we need is a focus, a target and a single-minded approach.
Our Usain Bolts and Michael Phelps are waiting for the opportunity to prove themselves like our Javed Miandads, Imran Khans and Wasim Akrams. If only our wretched sports bureaucracy would let them.


few typical journo errors in predicting medals overnight but makes good points. the gov need to take lead and also the indian way where mittal has poured money into sport..olympic sports especially. some1 like mansha or others need to come in and take few boxers, wrestlers, shooters etc and groom them.