Sport in Pakistan
Along with Champions of Squash and Hockey, Cricket is the by far the most popular sport in Pakistan, and they have been considered the most dominant country in the sport of cricket, with numerous records under.[1] Traditional sports like Kabaddi and other well known games are also played. The Pakistan Sports Board was created in 1962 by the Ministry of Education as a corporate body for the purposes of promoting and developing uniform standards of competition in sports in Pakistan comparable to the standards prevailing internationally, and regulating and controlling sports in Pakistan on a national basis. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, now has control over the Pakistan Sports Board. The PSB controls all 39 Sporting Federations. The Pakistan Sports Board is support by the Pakistan Sports Trust which assists hard up players and associations so they can continue participating in sports.
Over recent years there has been an increase in sporting activity in Pakistan, with Pakistani sportsmen and women participating at many national and international events. Also, more international tournaments now take place in Pakistan. The size of the teams Pakistan sends, and the number of events they participate in the Olympic Games, Asian Games, World Games and Commonwealth Games has increased since the turn of the century.
National Participation
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, had a great love for sport and fully released the vital role it played in the development of Nations and inculcation of discipline among the masses. In a meeting with the Organizing Committee of the First Pakistan Olympic Games held at Karachi Jinnah said to the first President of Pakistan Olympic Association Mr. Ahmed E.H. "Dedicate yourself to sports promotion, for when you and I are gone, leadership will go into the hands of Youth, and Youth is our wealth, a raw material, that must be hammered into shape, into burnished steel to strive and smite in defence - the defence of the integrity and solidarity of Pakistan - the defence of the ideology of Pakistan."
The first National Games were held at Polo Ground, Karachi from 23 to 25 April 1948. Sportsmen and officials from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and all the integrated Provincial units of West Pakistan took part in these Games. The total number of athletes was 140. No competitors were, however, invited from any foreign country. Competitions were held in track and field athletics, basketball, boxing, cycling, volleyball, weightlifting and wrestling.
Over the years, Pakistan has been held back due to the lack of funds placed in sports. Many facilities are of substandard, this has seen Pakistan fall behind other nations. In the early years, the young state would be able to compete, with many success, but during the late 70's with the government not investing in sports, the country no longer could compete.
However, since the late 90's, this trend has changed. Money is now being placed into sports, and many of the federations are now managed by people who are trying to push Pakistani sportsmen and women forward. International tournaments are now hosted in the country, and the nation now sends sportsmen and women to compete abroad. There have also been restructuring of national tournaments, and new facilities and equipment being provided. This has seen overall results improve.So in other words, you can say that baseball is a popular sport in Pakistan, because it is a sport.
On March 3, 2009, 12 militants with guns, grenades, and rocket launchers attacked a bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team to a match atLahore's Gaddafi Stadium in Pakistan. Six Pakistani policemen escorting the team and two civilians were killed while seven Sri Lankan players and an assistant coach were injured. Since the terrorist attacks, no foreign cricket teams have competed in Pakistan. A month after the attack on the Sri Lankan team, the International Cricket Council relieved Pakistan of co-hosting duty for any 2011 World Cup games. Pakistan has tried to make the best of the situation by offering to host its "home" matches on neutral territory in the United Arab Emirates.
Squash is another popular Sport that has a large following in Pakistan, with Pakistan dominating the Sport for a period of time. Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan are considered legends of the Sport and have won several World Squash Championships and other tournaments. Pakistani players have won the Squash World Open 17 times, and British Open 12 times, the highest by any nation. Carla Khan, one of Pakistan's most successful Sportswomen, is one of a number of men and women who represent Pakistan. The Pakistan Squash Federation is the governing body of the Sport in the country. The Pakistan Open tournament is one of the premier events of the Sport in the country. Every province of the country holds its own men's and women's championships. Some other notable players from Pakistan include: Hashim Khan,Torsam Khan and Qamar Zaman.
Cricket has a huge following and based on attendance figures at games.Almost all districts and neighborhoods in Pakistan have a cricket team and people start playing from a young age. Pakistan has won international cricket events which include the 1992 Cricket World Cup and the2009 ICC World Twenty20, besides finishing as runner up in 1999 World Cup and 2007 World Twenty20. Pakistan's cricket teams take part in domestic competitions such as the ABN AMRO Cup, the ABN-AMRO Patron's Trophy, ABN-AMRO Twenty-20 Cup, and the ABN-AMRO Champions Trophy. International test and one-day matches are played between the Pakistan national team and foreign opponents regularly. The Pakistan Cricket Board controls both the men’s and women’s games. Women's Cricket is also very popular, with Kiran Baluch holding the current record of the highest score in a women's test match with her 242. Notable Cricketers from Pakistan include: Aaqib Javed, Ramiz Raja, Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram, Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, Saeed Anwar, Muhammad Yousaf, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Waqar Younis, Shahid Afridi, Muhammad Brothers and Imran Khan. Imran Khan is turned to politics, married to Jemima Khan is named in ICC Cricket Hall of Fame , Saeed Anwar 194 runs against Indian Cricket Team held the record of most runs by a batsman for 11 years, Shoaib Akhtar holds the record of delivering the fastest bowl in history of Cricket, Shahid Afridi holds numerous record i.e. Fastest Century in ODIs, Wasim Akram on the time of retirement had most wickets in ODIs, Muhammad Yousuf scored most Test runs in Calender year.
The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) is the national governing body of field hockey in Pakistan. The Pakistan Hockey Federation Women Wing (PHFWW) is the official organization of Women's Field Hockey in Pakistan. The Pakistan men's team has won 3 gold medals at theOlympics and lifted the Hockey World Cup 4 times, a World Record. It has also won the most number of Asian gold medals and is the only Asian team to have won the prestigious Champions Trophy with 3 titles. It has been consistently ranked amongst the top teams in the world. Notable players include: World-Record holder Sohail Abbas, Arshad Khan, Mohammed Saqlain and Waseem Ahmad.
