Geo Super Ban Hurts Pakistan's Youth

[Riaz Haq]

The reason most frequently cited for Pakistan's poor performance at international sporting events is the lack of funding, especially when compared with nations where the state or private sector sponsors spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year on their athletes and sports teams.

For example, the Johnson-Ali model which was developed by the duo to predict participating nations' Olympics success, suggested that Pakistan would win seven medals, including three golds, won no medals at all at Athens Olympics. In fact, Pakistan has won three golds,three silvers and four bronze medals, a total of 10 medals in the entire history of its participation in Olympics movement since 1948. Eight out of the ten medals were won by Pakistan's field hockey team. The last Olympic medal Pakistan won was a bronze in 1992.

Johnson-Ali model was developed by Economics professor Daniel Johnson and his student Ms. Ayfer Ali to predict a country's Olympic performance using per-capita income (the economic output per person), the nation's population, its political structure, its climate and the host nation advantage. The Johnson-Ali model was described in a paper, “A Tale of Two Seasons: Participation and Medal Counts at the Summer and Winter Olympics,” that was written in 1999 with Ayfer Ali, while Johnson was on sabbatical at Harvard University and Ali was a student. It was published in Social Science Quarterly in December 2004."It's just pure economics," Johnson insists. "I know nothing about the athletes. And even if I did, I didn't include it."



In terms of funding, the recent growth in Pakistan's commercial media and its coverage of sports have offered a ray of hope, particularly for major Olympics sports which have historically been ignored. And it has come in the form of commercial sponsors looking to use the media coverage to promote their products and services to consumers. Geo Super, the nation's only TV channel dedicated to covering a whole range of sporting events in Pakistan, has led the way.

In addition to promoting sports, tv channels like Geo Super also have the salutary effect in promoting youth athleticism and fitness to play the sports being glamorized by the extensive coverage.

Unfortunately, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has recently pulled the plug on Geo Super, along with AAG, another Geo channel aimed at youth. This decision appears to be have been motivated by the short-sighted desire to hurt Jang media group financially to put pressure on its news channels to tone down their criticism of the current PPP government.

This bad and ill-timed decision has come at time when Pakistan is experiencing a major youth bulge. Fifty-seven per cent of Pakistan’s population is between 15 and 64, and 41 per cent are under 15. Only four per cent are over 65, according to the UN Population Fund.



This youth bulge can either be used to ramp up economic productivity leading to unprecedented prosperity in Pakistan, or it can cause severe social strife sparking a violent revolution. Channels like Geo Super offer an opportunity to promote pursuit of fitness to help build healthier bodies and create jobs through economic activity in the form of sales of sports apparel, shoes, fitness equipment and memberships of fitness clubs.

While the PPP politicians may find it expedient in the short term to tamp down criticism, this decision is likely to hurt Pakistan's youth the most at a time when there are few other outlets to release their energy in nonviolent ways. And the longer this decision is not reversed, the more likely it will hurt Pakistan's future.

Related Links:

Haq's Musings

Johnson-Ali Model

Commonwealth Games Medals Per Capita 2010

IPL Mixes Cricket, Business and Entertainment

Pakistan's Youth Bulge

Geo Super Sports TV Channel

[Riaz Haq]

#Pakistan Sending Four Swimmers, 2 girls and 2 boys, to 2015 World Swimmming Championships http://swimswam.com/pakistan-sending-four-swimmers-to-world-champs/ … via SwimSwam​

The Pakistan Swimming Federation has announced a four-member roster — two women and two men — to represent Pakistan at the upcoming 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia.
All of the swimmers on the team have international swimming experience. Lianna Swan has represented Pakistan at several international meets, including Barcelona in 2013, and at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, where she set the national record in the 100 freestyle and 50 breast.
Anum Bandey, who trains in London, swam for Pakistan as a 15 year-old at the 2012 London Olympic games as just the third woman ever to swim for Pakistan in the Olympics. Although she placed last in the 400 IM in the preliminary heats, she did set a new national record with that swim, a time of 5:34.64.
Teenager Mohammad Saad Amin competed at last fall’s Asian Games. He’s currently the national leader in the 50/100 free and 50 fly. He’ll be joined by fellow teenager Haris Bandey, who competed in sprint events at the Commonwealth Games last year in Glasgow, but who has the fastest Pakistani times this year in the 200 IM and 400 IM.
According to the Pakistan Swimming Federation press release, swimmer were selected on the basis of their performance at Pakistan’s National Championship, which was held this April.

[Riaz Haq]

PSL 3 brings $5 million profit for PCB, more than double of 2nd editions says Najam Sethi
The PCB chairman has reported massive profits from the recently-concluded PSL.

https://www.crictracker.com/psl-3-brings-5-million-profit-for-pcb-m...


The Pakistan Cricket Board successfully completed the third edition of the Pakistan Super League with the eliminator and the finals of the tournament in two cities of Pakistan. Through the Pakistan Super League, the PCB is trying to bring back cricket to its soil which has been stranded ever since the attack on Sri Lankan players.

Najam Sethi, the chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) says that the tournament has been a massive success and the board is expecting to earn a revenue of around five million US dollars. Sethi was speaking to media after attending a meeting said that the third edition was bigger and better. According to Sethi while the 2nd edition brought them $2 million, the 3rd edition will give them around $5 million profit. “This time around [in the third edition], we are expecting over five million dollars as profit,” said the PCB chief.

Most matches of PSL 4 will be held in Pakistan: Sethi
Sethi has already announced that most of the matches of the 4th edition of the tournament will be held in Pakistan. “You should trust me. I do what I say. Have finished one good news and am now giving the second,” he had said ahead of the PSL 2 final in Karachi.

He also talked about the ongoing tussle with BCCI and said that they have already initiated the process of dispute resolution against the BCCI and they’re hoping to get it resolved soon. ICC has already created a 3-member bench to look into the matter.

Sethi also spoke about the selection of the Pakistani squad for the tour of Ireland and England. The cricket fans in Pakistan are venting their anger over the exclusion of Fawad Alam from the squad. Sethi said that he never interferes in the selection process. He said that selection committee is fully independent and they have professionals to take correct decisions.