Olympics & Pakistan
By Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd)
Westridge, Rawalpindi
Olympics 2008 have come to a close. It was a tremendous show on the part of the Chinese who proved themselves to be a dynamic and vibrant nation with great organisational capabilities. They not only held the entire Olympics flawlessly but also walked away with top laurels - 51 Gold, 21 Silver and 28 Bronze medals. They truly deserve ungrudging admiration of the world for such outstanding performance.
Many proud nations of the world would take stock of their performance at Beijing and start preparing accordingly for the next event. What will we – a nation of 170 million strong, nuclear power, 7th or 8th largest country of the world, the most powerful Islamic state and what not - do? Is it not time to reorganise our sports bodies, get rid of the dead wood at the top, induct dedicated professionals and experts, carry out an earnest talent hunt and take steps for a wholesome change? May be the Olympian Gods permit us also an odd access to the victory stands next time!
