Islamabad : Pakistan's wrestlers who won two gold medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in New Delhi were the only saving grace for the country as it ranked a dismal 17th in the final medal tally of the mega event, former players and the common people opined.
The performance of the Pakistani tennis, squash and hockey players left a lot to be desired in the October 3 to 14 Games — this was the consensus among former players and people polled by IANS.
Pakistan clinched 17th place in the 71-team Games with two gold, one silver and two bronze medals.
Wrestlers Mohammad Inam and Azhar Hussain won gold medals.
Against all odds
"They showed hard work and resilience can lead to achieving glory against all odds," said a daily newspaper.
The hockey team had won two matches in a row to raise the expectations of people back home, but their performance later nosedived as they lost 4-7 to India and could not make it to the medal round.
"The team could not handle the pressure of the big stage and the senior players also disappointed with their stick work", said former team captain Mohammad Usman.
Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary Asif Bajwa said that "he was equally dismayed [by] the below par performance of the boys in green".
There have been calls from former players to sack PHF officials as a result of the team's repeated bad performance, hoping that such drastic action would help revitalise the sport, which is listed as its national game.
The squash players were unable to match the energy and fitness level of their opponents, while the tennis stars Aisam-ul-Haq and Aqeel Khan, also failed to live up to expectations.
"Much was expected of Aisam after the US open where he reached the finals of men's doubles and mixed doubles, but it was not to be," said a daily newspaper.
"The games, though, underlined one big reality that sports events can be used to bridge the differences between India and Pakistan," said another daily.
"The reception given to the contingent at the inauguration and the [media] coverage to athletes subsequently showed that the Indian media and fans had risen above the petty differences to cheer for them," it added.
