Pakistan fencers fall victims to corruption – Fencing News
No place in the world is safe from corruption. The most miscalculated scenario is when a player Ais keen to prove himself in the ground, but gets stabbed on the back. This stabbing is done by the one holding the weapon of reference and influence of
the high-ups of the authorities. Unfortunately, the deserving is left away and the player with the influential power gets to play the famous events.
No one shall ever negate the fact that corruption has made it even harder for players to justify the sport. Especially, when the enthusiastic ones are discouraged and the non-serious ones get to play the competition.
Fencing is a sport that requires talent with a fusion of skills, of both the body and mind. The weapon in the hand allows out-powering the opponent. This sport is one of a kind and has a huge international recognition.
Since the past eleven years, this sport is also being played in Pakistan. Players include men, women and children of different age groups. Not having much of a history, the body is named as the Pakistan Fencing Federation. The body formed to conduct
and promote fencing in Pakistan, is neither a financially sound nor a managerially strong outfit. A few more subsidiary bodies were later formed in the four provinces. Not much fencers are interested in the promotion of the sport, rather they learned the sport
and played a few domestic competitions and later lead their own way.
Here’s the catch, the fencers willing to step in the internationals events, could not make it. The only reason was the government’s reluctance to invest over fencing, being an immature sport in the Pakistan’s horizon. Invitations were received, every
now and then, from the neighbouring countries like Iran and India, to participate in the events being hosted by them.
Male fencers represented Pakistan in the field of fencing through participation from their own expenses. In a country like Pakistan, women have always fought for their rights. This fact can be related to what happened, last year.
India sent an invitation for the participation of both Male and Female fencers from Pakistan. The invitation was of SAF Games, which were held last year in Chennai, India. The condition to qualify was to send at least 10 female fencers across the border.
Although, this invitation had been communicated to the fencers, but the condition was to self-finance their three day tour to India.
This meant that there was no back-hand support by the government and the federation’s management with such international exposure, only offered to register players with the event. Resultantly, all the female fencers refused the offer from the neighbour
country due to unwillingness or lack of financial support.
This will continue to happen unless the responsible personnel take pledge not just to play their part but also to avoid any interference from the system corrupters. If action is taken soon, the hurdles coming in the way of Pakistan fencing may reduce
to the minimum. This will encourage women players in all sorts of sports. to come forth and take the initiative of grasping international opportunities to the utmost. Likewise, the hesitation of domestic fencers will also come to an end, helping the sport
to get promoted among the youth.
All such steps shall lead Pakistan to be a part of the international chart among famous fencers, helping the nation to win the membership of the FIE (governing body), soon.
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