Pakistan is a sports-loving nation and sports in Pakistan are an important part of Pakistan’s culture. However, this love is not limited to one or two games. There are some games that are very popular in Pakistan. Cricket is the most played and popular sport in Pakistan while field hockey, polo and squash are also popular. Traditional sports such as kabaddi and other popular sports of Pakistan.
In recent years, there has been an increase in sports activities in Pakistan, with Pakistani athletes and women participating in many national and international competitions. Now, more international tournaments played in Pakistan. The size of the teams sent to Pakistan and in which they participate, such as the Olympic Games, the Asian Games, the World Games, and the Commonwealth Games increased by the end of the century.
Also Check Out: Pakistan Most Successful Twenty20 Captain All The Time
Pakistan Sports Board (PSB)
The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) formed in 1962 for the purpose of promoting and promoting a uniform standard of competition in sports of Pakistan. The PSB monitors the activities/affairs of the affiliated National Sports Federations. At present, the board is affiliated with 41 national sports federations and 03 departments. Each federation is responsible for the promotion and development of its sport.
Pakistan Sport History
The first national game after Pakistan’s independence took place on April 23-25, 1948 at the Polo Ground in Karachi. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the father of the nation declared the Games open. Quaid-i-Azam donated the “Challenge Shield” from his private funds. The trophy is now called the “Quaid-e-Azam Trophy” and is awarded to the winning team in each edition. He loved sports very much and he fully realized the important role he played in the development of nations and in creating discipline in the people.
10 Most Popular Sports In Pakistan
Pakistan has a rich history of sports. Over the years, various sports of Pakistan have seen their golden days and their popularity in some sports has declined due to different sports. The following is a list of the 10 most popular Pakistan National Sports games.
1. Cricket:
Cricket is a popular sport in Pakistan. Pakistan is a cricket-mad country and cricket is played in every corner of the country. Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Wasim Akram, and Imran Khan are the world-class famous players of Pakistan. Pakistan has won international cricket competitions, including the 1992 Cricket World Cup, the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.
Although cricket is not our national sport, it is an undisputed champion in terms of popularity. Internationally, Pakistan is witnessing ups and downs, but its fan following is quite stable. With the launch of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Pakistanis have once again become involved in cricket. Pakistan will host the 2020 Pakistan Super League.
Also Check out: Top 10 Pakistani Cricketers Of All Time
2. Hockey:
Hockey is the national game of Pakistan and was the most popular sport in the 70’s and 80’s. Pakistan’s national hockey team has set a world record four times in the Hockey World Cup by winning three gold medals in the Olympic Games. It has also won the most Asian gold medals and is the only Asian team to have won the Distinguished Champions Trophy with 3 titles. He is permanently included in the top teams of the world.
Notable players include world record holders Wasim Ahmed, Mohammad Thaqleen and Sohail Abbas. The hockey team has been a factor in the last few years as a result of the poor performance of the Federation.
3. Football:
The world’s most popular sport is still not the most popular sport in Pakistan but things are changing fast. In almost all urban centers of Pakistan, football has gained tremendous popularity in the last few years. It is a dominant sport in many schools, colleges and universities. For the last several years, the Pakistan Football Federation has been continuously failing this beautiful game in Pakistan.
Pakistan is known as the official cup of the FIFA World Cup. Football is booming in Pakistan. Pakistan is also said to be the largest producer of football in the world. Notable football players include Muhammad Essa, Zeeshan Rehman, and Haroon Yousaf.
4. Kabaddi:
Kabaddi is a popular traditional sport in Pakistan. Pakistan Kabaddi Federation manages the team. The Federation established in 1964 in Islamabad. He organized the first Pakistan style Kabaddi League, Super Kabaddi League.
Tahir Waheed Jutt is the head coach of the team. Muhammad Irfan Jutt (Maana Jutt) is the captain of the team and Shafiq Ahmed Chishti is the vice-captain of the team.
Pakistan won its first Kabaddi World Cup on February 16, 2020, at the National Stadium, Lahore, 43-41 after a close match against India. Kabaddi Federation organizes tournaments between Pakistan and other countries like Iran and India. These tournaments held in Pakistan to expose kabaddi players. Kabaddi has been played in Pakistan for many years and is considered a traditional sport in Pakistan.
5. Tennis:
Pakistanis Tennis players participate in various international Tennis competitions. The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) organizes the game in the country. Khawaja Saeed was the first Pakistani to reach the Grand Slam tournament. Haroon Rahim was a very successful player, he was going to win several singles and double titles.
Most recently, Aisam-ul-Haq made history in Pakistani tennis when he reached the finals of the 2010 US Open – Men’s Doubles and the 2010 US Open – Mixed Doubles.
The Pakistan Davis Cup team has already reached the World Group playoffs with the help of Pakistan’s number one Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan. However, if we look at the number of players, there will be very few professional or even amateur tennis players in Pakistan. This is mainly due to lack of infrastructure, organization and events.
6. Squash:
Squash is a popular sport that has a huge following in Pakistan, with Pakistan dominating the game from time to time. Janshar Khan won the World Open eight times and the British Open six times. He was number one in the world for six years. Jahangir Khan is the biggest squash player ever with a record of easily winning 555 games.
Together they have won 14 World Open, making Pakistan the most played squash nation in the world. Pakistani squash players have won 17 times at the World Open and 12 times at the British Open, the most by any country.
7. Snooker:
The various snooker clubs in Luck are a testament to the fact that it is one of the most popular sports in Pakistan. Most players start out as a hobby. The raw talent of snooker can be found in small snooker clubs spread across the country, and sometimes in talent like Muhammad Asif.
There was a great success at the international level. Muhammad Yousaf was the IBSF World Snooker Champion in 1994 and the IBSF World Masters Champion in 2006. Shoukat Ali is Pakistan’s number one player and a gold medalist in the Asian Games. The Pakistan Billiards Snooker Association (PBSA) was formed in 1958.
8. Polo:
The Shandur Polo Tournament played every June at the world’s highest polo ground, is one of the biggest attractions to Chitral and Gilgit in northern Pakistan. Raza Bangash has been Pakistan’s number one player since June 2009, playing for the President’s bodyguard team.
The Pakistan Polo Association (PPA) organizes the game, and the national team participates in the Polo World Cup. Polo is played professionally in which several Argentine players are playing in Pakistan.
9. Volleyball:
Volleyball is a popular sport in Pakistan of Armed Forces. Inter-service games played regularly and most of the players on the Pakistani volleyball team are from the forces. The game is very popular in rural Pakistan.
Many local volleyball events are also held throughout the year in major cities such as Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad and rural areas. Such events have a good crowd and a lively atmosphere
10. Boxing:
Boxing has been gaining popularity in Pakistan. Compared to other sports, Pakistani boxers performed well in international competitions. Karachi has produced some of the best Pakistani boxers of the year.
Aamir Khan is probably one of the main reasons for the recent popularity of boxing in Pakistan. Although British boxers of Pakistani descent do not formally represent Pakistan, they have a huge fan following in Pakistan.
Other National Sports:
In addition to the above sports, the following sports are being played as the main features of many large and colorful festivals held in rural Pakistan.
- Wrestling
- Weightlifting
- Horse-racing/riding
- Tent-Pegging
- Shooting
- Scuba Diving
- Trekking/Mountain climbing
- Rope skipping
- Motorsport
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Cycling
- Caving
- Chess
- Skiing
- Paragliding
Hope you like it > Popular Sports in Pakistan Please tell us in the comments.
