It’s a male-dominated industry is an antiquated catchphrase that has little meaning to many women in Pakistan. Both male and female sports in Pakistan today frequently inspire pride in women. Women can simply maintain active and educate thanks to the growing number of facilities across the nation. As a result, Pakistani women are increasingly showcasing their skills in a variety of activities, such as cricket, football, hockey, and swimming.
The outlook of athletics for women in Pakistan can only be better as more sporting events take place. We present to you the sports that Pakistani ladies enjoy playing the most.
CRICKET
In Pakistan, cricket is undoubtedly the most fantastic sport among both men and women. Pakistan is well above Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Ireland in the present ICC Women’s League Standings, ranking eighth.
The legendary cricketer Sana Mir transformed Pakistani women’s cricket. She first became passionate about cricket at the age of just five. She and her brothers initially played street cricket. Sana, seeking a degree as an engineer, made a 180-degree reversal and switched to a profession in cricket. She gained notoriety and popularity after being named the Pakistan Women’s Cricket team’s prideful captain. In 2010 and 2014, she received two gold medals at the Asian Games.
ATHLETES
Pakistani athlete Asteria de Sa competed in sports. She became the first long jump championship winner. At the first Pakistan Olympics, which are currently known as the National Games, she represented the province of Sindh. She competed in track events like the long jump and javelin in addition to running sports like relays and 100 yards. Afterward, de Sa managed the Sindh Women’s Team at the National Games in Dacca and Montgomery (now Sahiwal) (now Dhaka). She was a trailblazer for women in sporting events.
Pakistani Olympian Shabana Akhtar competes in athletic events. When she participated in the women’s long jump at the 1996 Olympics, she marked the first woman from Pakistan to contest there. She has won 42 Pakistani national championships, including the 100 and 200-meter dashes from 1989 to 1998, the 400-meter long jump, the high jump, the 4 x 100 m relay, and the 4 x 400 relay from 1992 to 1998.
ALPINE SKIERS
Alpine skier and conservation biology graduate Amina Wali is from Pakistan. She supports the International Development Organization’s “Just Because I’m a girl” initiative as its peace envoy. She began skiing when she was 4 years old. She and her sister are the first women from Pakistan to win an Olympic medal in skiing. She is a native of the Gilgit-Ghizer Baltistan area.
Amina’s sister, Ifrah Wali, is a Pakistani alpinist. When she triumphed at the first South Asian Ski Games hosted in India, she became the first person to dominate the Giant Alpine competition there. By defeating her sister, Amin, an Indian contender, Wali won the Giant Slalom competition at the South Asian Games in India in 2011.
SKATING
At age 12, Pakistan’s Ice Diva, the very first skater from Pakistan, earned a Gold Medal in the two-day Basic Beginners Girls II division at the 24th World Eiscup Inssbruck 2019 (Nov. 22–24) in Austria. She was the youngest Pakistani to compete in the event. She currently resides in Uae and competed in several ice skating competitions in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.
She keeps motivating others, trains for more international contests and has opened up a new arena in Pakistan for female athletes to pursue their dreams.
SWIMMERS
One of Pakistan’s most talented swimmers, Lianna, has won numerous national gold and set seven country marks. She was able to get admission to the 2016 Rio Olympics as a 19-year-old. Her work led to a real treat with her presentation. At the 2016 South Asian Games (SAG), which were held in India, she competed on behalf of Pakistan and earned silver and gold medals in the women’s 200- and 100-meter freestyle categories.
RUNNERS
Rabia Ashiq is a Pakistani track-and-field athlete who was born on April 15, 1992, in Lahore. In local and national events, Ashiq promotes the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA). She was given a license to run in the 800 meters at the 2012 Olympics in London, where she placed third in the fourth heat of round 1.
Shazia Hidayat, a professional athletics runner from Pakistan, was born on April 4, 1976. At the Olympic Trials in 2000, she acted as the first female athlete participating in Pakistan. The second woman to ever defend Pakistan in an Olympic sport, she competed in running in the Summer Olympics of 2000 in Australia.
HOKEY
It used to be difficult to picture a Hockey World Cup without Pakistan. In Pakistan, women prefer to engage in hockey than any other game. Rushna Khan, a 21-year-old player from Pakistan, just signed with a foreign team. In Sydney, Australia’s St George Randwick Hockey League, Khan, a goalie for the Pakistani Women’s Hockey squad, is now competing. Rushna earned her Pakistani bow in the world arena in 2015 versus India. She has now participated in six international games.
FOOTBALL
The love of football among Pakistani women is equal to that of the nation’s males. Women’s football in Pakistan is organized by the PFFWOC (Pakistan Football Federation Women Organizing Committee). The country’s yearly women’s football competition is known as the Pakistan National Women’s Championship Tournament. Among the top players on the recent Pakistani squad are Raheela Zarmeen, Shahlyla Baloch, Zulfia Nazir, Sahar Zaman, and Diana Baig.
BADMINTON
In Pakistan, women adore and enjoy playing badminton tremendously. The game is governed in Pakistan by the Pakistan Badminton Federation, which was established in 1953. Women’s athletes have won various competitions, including Nighat Sultana and Elsie Huntley.
SQUASH
Pakistan has a sizable fan base for squash and has long been the sport’s undisputed leader. Women’s championships are held in every region of the nation thanks to the Pakistan Squash Federation, the sport’s main governing organization.
The two top squash players in Pakistan are Carla Khan and Maria Toorpakai Wazir
WEIGHT-LIFTING
The first female weightlifter from Pakistan to receive a gold medal at a global tournament is Twinkle Sohail.
At the Asian Bench-Press Weight lifting Tournament in Oman in 2015, Sohail took home the gold medal. With her triumph, Pakistan defeated India to win the competition.
ICE HOKEY
The regions of Hunza and Gilgit seem to exist in a separate world from Pakistan’s urban nations. Athletics are huge among Hunza’s youngsters. They began playing ice hockey on the margins of their houses about three years ago. Girls in Hunza are participating in the ice hockey game as the tournament comes to a close. The fact that the Canadian High Commissioner serves as the game’s umpire makes it much more intriguing. The Altit SCARF squad defeated the Ghulkin Winter Club 2-0 to win the 2022 National Ice Hockey Championship.
Each of the SCARF’s contests was won. It won 3-0 against Yasin Janbaz, 2-0 over the Ghulkin Winter Club, and 2-0 over the GB Scouts.
Women’s involvement in sports encourages free expression and aids in dispelling the prejudices and unfavorable preconceptions that surround them. In Pakistan, women’s equality with men depends on sports.
