When Pakistan has so much talent, then why aren’t there more athletes, players, sportsmen on the rise? The stigma attached to being a professional athlete, barely making any money (unless you are a cricketer, and even then that’s questionable), to someone with at least a job that pays the bills, is a hard one to get over, in our society. Despite these drawbacks, we still produce gems that do us proud, purely through their own convictions.
One such sportsman is Boxer Hayatt Ullah Achakzai from Quetta. He started early at the tender age of 11 and went onto win his first Silver medal in All Pakistan under Fourteen. Throughout the years, his training, dedication and hard work paid off as he went onto join the WAPDA team, winning Gold in 2003 and 2006. He even won the gold medal at National Games in 2004.
Soon, the national arena was no longer enough to satiate his desire, as he wanted to make Pakistan proud by representing it in the international arena. And so, at the President Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia, he brought home gold in 2005. He then even went onto play at the Commonwealth Championships. His most recent accomplishment was winning Gold at the National Championships in 2011.
Such heroes need to be highlighted, for they live amongst us and give us hope. Hayatt Ullah is now a 33-year-old and a father of 4 who runs his own small franchise. But he still contributes to his favorite sport and society by coaching the same WAPDA team he once played for. He has exemplified the structural balance between providing for your family and living your passion.
He actively advocates that compensation for athletes is the relevant Sports Authority’s responsibility. Unless given suitable incentives, they will always loose good athletes to family responsibilities of earning a livelihood. Their financial woes would not allow them to socialize or to get exposure of the outer world.
The dearth of facilities does not help this cause either, as the process will never be streamlined. For starters the availability of training camps; presence of scouts, not only at the gyms where the athletes train, but also at schools and colleges; promotion of the sport; organizing of the Sports Authority, will all help improve the process.
However, Hayat Ullah still loves this sport and his country that gives him his identity and keeps him grounded to his roots. He is ambitious and considers himself quite fit to make it to the Al-Fajar cup in Iran or in a professional capacity to Australia in the nearby future.
Share your comments!
