ISLAMABAD: Pakistani athletes put on a disappointing display at the South Asian Junior Athletics Championship, as all twelve atheltes are empty-handed in the event, held in Chennai, India, concluded with Pakistan failing to secure a single medal out of the 90 medals distributed.World Nomad Games: Kazakhstan leading with 43 gold medals

India dominated the championship, claiming 48 medals, including 21 gold, 22 silver, and 5 bronze. Sri Lanka followed in second place with 9 gold, 9 silver, and 17 bronze medals. Bangladesh secured third place with three bronze medals, while Maldives and Nepal earned 2 and 1 medals, respectively. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s athletes were unable to make their mark on the podium.

According to sources, favoritism were witnessed in the role of selection of the coaches and official staff for the trip to India. Figures like Iqbal Akhtar, Miss Abida, Saif Afridi, and Rana Tanveer were appointed as coaches and team officials despite lacking relevant qualifications in the field.

Interestingly, coaches like as Asghar Gul, Rafiq Ahmed, and Seemi Zaidi—who had been trained the junior athletes team at the Islamabad training camp—were not included in the team for the championship. The training camp itself was organized with the support of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB).

It is also worth mentioning that the Pakistan Sports Board allocated a significant budget of Rs. 93 million to the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) over the past two years. Despite this, PSB officials did not question the criteria for the selection of the team and staff, even after introducing new measures for sports federations seeking NOCs (No Objection Certificates) for international events.