Sport in Pakistan
Pakistan has a great range of sports but cricket seems to be the most popular followed by hockey and squash. Cricket is played in most districts of Pakistan and a conventional Pakistani has more likely have played it in one time of their life.
Polo payer in Pakistan Cricket is so popular that Pakistan has become internationally competitive taking home various honors like wining the Cricket World Cup (1992) and the ICC World Twenty20 (2009) as well as being runner-ups in the 1999 Cricket World Cup and 2007 ICC World Twenty20. Some of the best cricketers in the world like Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad, Imran Khan, Ramiz Raja and many more are from Pakistan.
Pakistan has a lot of traditional sports but Kabaddi is by far the most popular. It is a form of contact sport that came from South India and is actually the national sport of other countries like Bangladesh and Nepal. Other Pakistani who has made a mark in the international stage includes Jansher Khan and Jahangir Khan, both played squash. Jansher Khan won the World Open eight times and the British Open six times. He was ranked number 1 in the world for six years. Jahangir Khan is easily the greatest professional squash player of all time with a record of having a 555-game winning streak. And by the way, Jansher and Jahangir are related.
Pakistan has been in the Olympic Games since the 1948 London Games except when they participated in the 1980 boycott of the Moscow Games. All in all, they have taken home 10 Olympic medals, 8 of which are from field hockey (3 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze). The other 2 (bronze) came from wrestling and boxing.
Below are details of sports, sporting events and sports people related to Pakistan. Cricket is the most popular sport, with Field Hockey the national sport.
Popular sports of Pakistan
- Cricket, Field Hockey, Squash, Football (Soccer), Polo
Traditional or Regional Sports
- Kabaddi — a "raider" enters the opposite team's half to tag opponents without taking a breath.
- Beeni Wrestling — also called Asian arm wrestling, involves two competitors attempting to break free from their competitor’s hold.
Pakistani Sporting Success
- Winner of the 1992 Cricket World Cup
- Three gold medals at the Olympics in Field Hockey.
- Winner 2009 T20 World Cup
- Hockey Champions Trophy winners - 1978, 1980, 1994
Great athletes from Pakistan
- Wasim Akram (cricket)
- Javed Miandad (cricket)
- Imran Khan (cricket)
- Carla Khan (squash)
- Jahangir Khan (squash)
- Arshad Khan (hockey)
Pakistan Sports trivia
- Pakistan first competed at the Olympic Games in 1948
Pakistan at major events
- Pakistan at the Summer Olympics
- Pakistan at the Winter Olympics
- Pakistan at the Commonwealth Games
- Pakistan at the Cricket ODI World Cup
- Pakistan at the Cricket T20 World Cup
Past sporting events hosted in Pakistan
- 1987 Cricket World Cup hosted by India & Pakistan
- 1996 Cricket World Cup hosted by India, Pakistan & Sri Lanka
- 2011 Cricket World Cup to be hosted in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan & Sri Lanka
Upcoming sporting events in Pakistan
- 2025 ICC Champions Trophy
Annual sporting events held in Pakistan
Sporting Facilities in Pakistan
- The National Stadium - a cricket stadium in Karachi
- National Cricket Academy (NCA)
Is there something missing? If you know of something that should be listed here, please let me know.
Related Pages
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
Current Events