When Will This Dance of Destruction in Sports End?
By: Sports Philanthropist, Shahid Ulhaq
Once again, Pakistani sports have fallen victim to chaos, nepotism, and conspiracies. Weightlifting — a sport that once brought honor and gold medals to the nation — is now being strangled by internal politics.
Furqan, a weightlifter in 200% peak form and a double gold medalist, has been not only excluded from the Asian Games 2025 but has now also been barred from participating in the Islamic Solidarity Games 2025.
This is the same Furqan who raised Pakistan’s flag high with his exceptional performance. Yet, a small circle of self-serving officials has once again put the nation’s gold medals at stake for their personal and political interests. The naked dance of sports politics is now happening openly in the streets, while those responsible for sports governance remain in a deep sleep, indifferent and inactive.
This raises serious questions:
Is this not a betrayal of the sport and the nation?
Is this not exploitation instead of development?
And if the answer is yes, will anyone ever investigate?
Sadly, no government representative or IPC (Inter-Provincial Coordination) officer has the courage to question the Pakistan Olympic Association or the concerned federations about when this tragic "dance of destruction" will finally end.
Athletes and sports are the pride of the nation — but if such injustices continue, our athletes will begin to lose faith in their own playing fields.
According to credible sources, Hafiz Imran Butt, who was banned for doping, was recently spotted in Bahrain during the Asian Youth Games enjoying himself with an Olympic Accreditation Card, a direct violation of the Olympic Charter. Shockingly, neither the Pakistan Olympic Association nor the Pakistan Sports Board has taken any action or even offered an explanation.
What’s even more alarming is that the final list of athletes and officials for the Islamic Solidarity Games 2025 has not been made public by any responsible authority. Sports journalists and insiders have tried to confirm it through various channels, but both the Sports Board and the Olympic Association have remained silent.
In athletics, Pakistan’s only real gold medal hopes — Arshad Nadeem and Yasir Sultan — have also been undermined. Their original coach, Fayyaz Bukhari, who guided Arshad to his Olympic record, has been dropped yet again without reason.
Sources further reveal that during a recent Pakistan Athletics Federation council meeting, Suleman Butt, who has been banned for ten years, was also included in the Islamic Games contingent. Meanwhile, inexperienced and unknown individuals are being added as officials, effectively burying merit altogether.
The question is not why our athletes are falling behind — the real question is why our sports institutions have collapsed.
Are the federations meant to serve sports, or to serve their families and friends?
Why do they refuse to stand up for the players and coaches who actually bring honor to the country?
And above all — how long will this dance of destruction against our athletes and coaches continue?
It is high time that the government, the Sports Board, and the Pakistan Olympic Association be held accountable for burying Pakistan’s real heroes under the weight of their conspiracies and corruption.
