Unsung Sports Heroes of Pakistan

This article is written to promote the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. Here is the link for article.  http://blog.incheon2014ag.com/sports-heroes-pakistan/

There are a number of people in every nation who are a source of inspiration for the rest of their countryman and woman. Most of them are those who represent their countries on international level and bring fame and respect to their nations. They are honored with medals and shields. However a great number of people don’t get fame and respect as much they deserved. Those people are known as the unsung heroes of a nation. Here I will discuss about some of the unsung heroes of Pakistan.

Abdul Khaliq Flying Bird of Asia

Abdul Khaliq the world famous athlete of Pakistan, incredible run in the 1954 Manila Asian Games set a meet new record of 10.6 seconds in 100 meter. The chief guest, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, called him the “Flying Bird of Asia.” Khaliq was the only Pakistani athlete to raise the country’s flag high in the Melbourne Olympics (1956) and the Rome Olympics (1960). He won 100 gold medals in national meets, 26 gold medals and 23 silver medals in the international arena. However, very few outside Jand Awan of the Punjab province know that in the village graveyard rests the man who was once known as the “Fastest Man of Asia.” These days there is a discussion in Pakistan social media that this man of high caliber should be honored as recently Bollywood have made a movie on one of their athlete of Khaliq era.

Hassan Sadpara 

Climbing K-2 and without oxygen is indeed a great achievement itself.  Hassan Sadpara and his brother Sadiq Sadpara climbed K-2, Nanga Parbat, Brod Peak, G-1 and G-2 without oxygen and made a tremendous contribution in gaining respect for their nation. All these mountains are about 8,000 meter above sea level. Hassan will scale new heights in mountaineering when he climbs Mount Everest without oxygen on May 5, 2014. It will be an honor for people of Pakistan, in general, and for the people of Gilgit Baltistan, in particular. However, it is disheartening that this hero of our nation did not get any fame, place in media and in the eyes of government. His efforts are still to be praised.

Sabia Abbat

Women are not usually encouraged to pursue a sport in different areas of Pakistan However; it was Sabia Abbat’s curiosity to discover why women could not ride a bicycle that made her a national cycling champion in 2013. Belonging from a small village in Haripur (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province), she used to practice cycling on her grandfather’s bike. In the process, she get critique, fell many times and also sustained multiple injuries but finally get the answers she was seeking. However, she is not yet honored for what she did to raise the woman community of Pakistan especially in sports.

 

Maria Toorpakaie

It is very challenging to cherish your affection for a sport if you are born as a girl in South Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. But Maria Toorpakai Wazir confronted all odds by training and competing as a boy in Peshawar until she could not hide her gender any longer. It was just her love and fondness for the sports which bring her to an idea to hide her gander. Today she is Pakistan’s top female squash player and is ranked 54th in the world. She won a great respect for her nation and a lot to come ahead. She will be representing Pakistan in the 2014 Incheon Asian games.

Sarmad tariq

A swimming mishap paralyzed Sarmad tariq at the age of 15 restricting him to a wheelchair. However his incredible love for swimming helped him out of this shock and today, he is a professional and personal success story and a motivation for people with disabilities. He represented Pakistan in the ING New York City Marathon in 2005 and finished with a medal. His vision is to instruct a positive arrogance in people and help them lead a gratifying life.

Unfortunately, these unsung heroes’ of Pakistan have never been in the spotlight either in print or electronic media. However as a matter of fact, we should not forget our heroes as are our national assets. We should value them so that they can project our soft image to the whole world.