PESHAWAR
\nShabir Ahmed, a renowned volleyball player of Khyber Pakthunkhwa, is extremely disheartened by the decline in traditional sports activities in his hometown of Amankot, Nowshera District due to onslaught of an internet and social media in Pakistan.
\nAmankot\u2014once a vibrant center for volleyball matches among local players and produced many stars- are now deserted due to growing dominance of internet and social media, influencing the area\u2019s youth immensely.
\nShabbir recalled a time when volleyball tournaments were a major local event before 2000, drawing large crowds amid significant enthusiasm especially among youth of Peshawar, Charsadda and Nowshera districts.
\n\u201cIt is heartbreaking to see the deserted volleyball and Kabadi grounds where we used to play with great spirit and sports discipline,\u201d he told APP. He reminisced about the lively gatherings and competitive sportsmen spirits that once defined the local sports scene.
\nBefore the rise of the internet and social media in 2001, the villages and towns sports events in Khyber Pakthunkhwa were highly anticipated, with volleyball and Kabaddi tournaments besides other traditional games drawing enthusiastic support from locals irrespective of caste and colours.
\nPlayers from surrounding towns and villages of Nowshera, Charsadda and Peshawar had come together every Friday for Kabaddi matches, with crowds cheering and chanting \u201cKabaddi, Kabaddi, Kabaddi\u201d as they played, raising winners on shoulders amid dances on beatdrums.
\nShabir who represented Police at National Games pointed to Pakistan\u2019s great success in Kabaddi, noting that the national team won the World Cup in 2020 and Arshad Naeem\u2019s heroic performance at Javelin throw during Paris Olympics 2024 raised heads of every Pakistani high.
\nHe believed that with proper support and recognition, Pakistan can produce more champions like Olympic gold medalist Arshad Naeem, Squash legends Jahangir Khan and Jan Sher Khan and Seoul 19988 Olympics silver medalist Hussain Shah to make the national flag high in the world.
\nHowever, he emphasized that the current focus on digital entertainment especially on facebook and TicTok are negatively impacting traditional sports especially in rural areas where scope of sports is gradually fading away.
\nThe proliferation of internet use in Pakistan, which has crossed 111 million early this year, has mainly contributed to the decline of traditional sports in Pakistan including Khyber Pakthunkhwa.
\nSocial media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat have seen significant user growth, further drawing attention away from physical activities.
\nThe internet users in Pakistan had swelled to a record 111 million January year while about 71.90 million people use social media which is equating to 29.5 million of the total population of the country.
\nSimilarly, about 188.9 million cellular connections are active in Pakistan which is equal to 77.8 percent of 241 million population of Pakistan. Alike, the users of Facebook have jumped to record 44.50 million while 71.70 million population use YouTube, 17.30 million Instagram, 54.38 million TikTok and 30.21 million snapchat, affecting traditional games.
\nSquash legend Qamar Zaman noted the negative impact of the internet and social media on traditional sports including squash. He observed a significant reduction in the number of young players in his squash academy compared to previous years due to the onslaught of internet and social media\u2019s influence.
\nHe said Pakistan had ruled on world squash referring to the great squash players such as Roshan Khan, Azam Khan, Jahangir Khan, Jansher Khan, Atlas Khan and himself over the years.
\nPolitical concerns also emerged with Ikhtair Wali Khan, Pakistan Muslim League-N KP Information Secretary and former member provincial assembly, criticizing the PTI-led government for its long delays in upgrading and renovation of the historic Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium.
\nThe stadium\u2019s renovation, which began in 2017, remained incomplete even to date, depriving thousands of players of crucial sports facilities in Khyber Pakthunkhwa especially in Peshawar.
\nIkhtair Wali Khan also highlighted the cancellation of seven sports projects valued at over Rs2.34 billion in the KP budget for 2024, which he argued undermines sports development in Khyber Pakthunkhwa.
\nHe said this irrational move has raised serious concerns about the PTI\u2019s commitment to sports development and supporting athletes, adding the canceled projects include building two sports stadiums in Peshawar and Swabi and establishment of cricket coaching academy at Kohat, and constructing Takht Bhai Sports Complex in Mardan was tantamount of depriving youth of sports.
\nThe affected initiatives are renovations at Kohat Sports Complex and Swabi Sports Ground, installing new lighting, and developing sports facilities in Lower Dir and a Motor Sports Arena in Nowshera.
\nIn response to these daunting challenges, Fakhar Jehan, Adviser to the Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sports and Youth Affairs, stated that solid efforts are underway to revitalize traditional sports in Khyber Pakthunkhwa.
\nHe said a new sports policy was launched and mandated that schools must dedicate one day a week, especially Saturday, to sports activities.
\nHe claimed that 95 percent of work on Arbab Niaz cricket stadium was completed and sports facilities at Ayub Cricket Stadium improved.
\nThe CM aide reiterated the government\u2019s commitment to promoting sports and healthy activities in the region, emphasizing their significance in building a healthy society.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PESHAWAR Shabir Ahmed, a renowned volleyball player of Khyber Pakthunkhwa, is extremely disheartened by the decline in traditional sports activities in his hometown of Amankot, Nowshera District due to onslaught of an internet and social media in Pakistan. Amankot\u2014once a vibrant center for volleyball matches among local players and produced many stars- are now deserted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-428611","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n