Victory and defeat are no doubt part of the game but what also counts is how well the battle is fought. Pakistan’s performance in London Olympics, where almost all the athletes and players lost in early rounds was a foregone conclusion for obvious reasons of little to no finding, encouragement and training. Most shocking of all was the hockey fiasco that ended with Australian 7-0 win. Rather than wasting time in reminiscing over days of hockey’s glory, the debacle calls for bringing in  new and energetic management.

There is no justification for the excuse that not enough time was given for practice. There is a lot that needs to be done to address the causes that have led to the downfall of sports in the country. One of the main problems is the common bane of corruption and favouritism in almost every field of life. Talent is often ignored while personal connection is all that can get a player into the national team. Secondly, there is not enough money and whatever is given by the government is largely pocketed by errant board officials. Except for cricket, in other games the players are not adequately paid and they spend their careers struggling for funds. In most cases, there is not even enough money to hire world class coaches. Finally, there is a nationwide craze for cricket but not enough interest for other sports, an imbalance reflected in Olympics.