In Pakistan, athletes can usually only dream of becoming Number One, and when some make it to Number One, that moment can be a fleeting one-time occurrence. Not because they are not good enough to stay at the top, but because they do not know if they will be able to compete again. International competitions and training at an elite level are costly, and without sponsorships, their dreams risk petering out as soon as they have materialised.

Sponsorships are what sustain elite athletes in the long run. When companies or sporting bodies provide athletes with the kits, nutrition and financial support, it sustains their athletic journey by relieving them of the expenses they would otherwise have to incur, which most cannot afford.

Squash prodigy Huzaifa Shahid has won four international titles and nine national titles; he is currently ranked 17th in Asia and Number One in Pakistan in the Under-13 category. There is no doubt that he is among the best young squash players and has proved that repeatedly – but the guarantee of competing internationally is becoming shakier. Shahid Khan is Huzaifa’s coach. He manages their travel expenses and together, they decide which international competitions to compete in every year. Shahid Khan is also Huzaifa’s father, which makes it painfully personal for him to witness his son miss out on competitions he is qualified for – all because they cannot afford the expenses of multiple trips.

The generosity of Khan’s friends initially financed their international squash travel, but each sigh of relief was followed by impending anxiety about the next competition. Huzaifa’s most recent tournaments in Hong Kong and Japan, which saw him claim the Under-13 titles in both, were sponsored by the Bilquis and Abdul Razak Dawood (BARD) Foundation, a non-profit that sponsors outstanding athletes and students.

However, BARD had only agreed to sponsor these two events. “Having a sponsor for next year would have given me immense peace of mind, knowing that I could then enter Huzaifa in four or five tournaments,” says Shahid Khan.

In a sport like squash, international tournaments increase a player’s regional or global ranking, and Hufaiza is already eyeing the British Junior Open in January 2025, after claiming titles in Asia and Australia. “Huzaifa picks the toughest challenges and it makes me happy to see him thriving in this sport. I don’t want to shatter his confidence, and that is why I will do anything to help him reach the highest goals,” comments his father.

Khan is already back at the drawing board, writing letters to companies in the hopes that they will see Huzaifa’s potential and sponsor his next international trip. Hufaiza, however, the star of the show, is mildly oblivious to the financial hoops his father has to jump through. Like any 13-year-old, he is locked into his training, schoolwork, and dreams of becoming the champion at the next big international squash tournament.

Arif Ali is in the same boat as Khan – but by a multiple of three. His daughters Mehwish, Sehrish and Mahnoor Ali are all squash champions. That also means three times the paperwork and financial and bureaucratic burden.

The trio have become synonymous with Pakistan’s success in women’s squash, winning international titles in Australia, Malaysia, and Scotland, along with winning silver in dozens of other tournaments. Mahnoor is Number One in Asia in the Under-13 category; Sehrish ranks 12th in the same category and Mehwish is ranked 22nd in the Asian Under-17. She is also Number One in Pakistan in the Under-19 and senior categories.

Earlier this year, Ali’s prayers were answered when BARD sponsored Mehwish and Mahnoor, and Sapphire (the clothing brand) sponsored Sehrish. Years and years of searching for sponsors and pleading with corporations finally came to fruition. However, the issue is, what happens after their sponsorships end? “They have won gold at almost every tournament they played in this year, and I can see how much they have grown because of the international exposure,” says Ali. He adds that no matter how many national tournaments in Pakistan an athlete competes in, it is the international competitive exposure that elevates their performance and their understanding of the sport.

Mehwish had to withdraw from a senior squash tournament in Sri Lanka in August because Ali could not afford the airfare and he is fearful that he may have to do so again for the Australian championships later this year. For context, the price tag for such trips can be anywhere between 300,000 and a million rupees.

Mehwish had begun playing on the prestigious Professional Squash Association (PSA) circuit this year. Ali says that although she is still competing in junior championships, she is ready for the open-age championships that offer better exposure and a chance to battle it out with some of the best squash players in the world. “If the Bard Foundation continues to sponsor them, they will become world junior champions very soon.” In many ways, he is like Richard Williams, trying to convince anyone who will listen that his daughters will be the next squash greats if only a sponsor would take a chance on them. “Just a handful of highly successful international tournaments were needed to catapult many athletes to the top ranks,” remarks Ali. Twenty-five-year-old Faiqa Riaz is currently the fastest woman in Pakistan and recently competed at the Paris Olympics. Yet, despite performing at an elite level, she has no sponsors, let alone any support from national sports bodies. As she puts it, “If I had any sort of financial sponsorship, I would use it to enhance my training by buying the equipment and clothing, or spending it on nutrition and vitamins.”

Salman Butt, the wizard coach behind Arshad Nadeem’s success, says that would-be athletes “have to work through the ranks and excel in the international arena. Only then will they attract the attention of sponsors.”

Just like Shahid Khan and Ali, Butt spent much of his time applying for visas, sorting out finances and managing the paperwork so that Nadeem could focus solely on his training. He says that the lack of sponsorship and the visa nightmare – courtesy of a weak Pakistani passport – will be the death of these athletes more than anything else. “In other South Asian countries, like India or Bangladesh, athletes are backed by the private sector. East Asian countries like South Korea and China are streets ahead when it comes to their governments sponsoring their athletes.” However, in Pakistan, you have to make a song and dance just to be heard. “You have to write to corporations, catalogue your success online, make a lot of noise about your talent and potential, and then maybe someone will hear you and take a chance on you.”

Butt, of all people would know what this is like, as he had to rely on the generosity of private donors and sports enthusiasts to fund much of Nadeem’s training, equipment and surgeries. “There’s only one Arshad Nadeem, but there are thousands of other future world champions in Pakistan that need sponsorship and support.”

Battling the odds, people like Shahid Khan and Arif Ali will just have to continue shooting in the dark to keep their children’s dreams alive.

Anushe Engineer is a journalist at Dawn.
anusheengineer@gmail.com