Wacky Race of the National Games: When Google Maps Became the Coach

Musarrat Ullah  Jan – KikxNow, digital Creator

The recent National Games in Karachi were not just competitions; they became a public inquiry into the state of sports administration in Pakistan. Athletes spent more time searching for rickshaws and venues than preparing for victory. A viral audio of the DG Sports for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa finally brought this state of mismanagement into the public spotlight.

The sports arena today reverberates not with applause and whistles but with a WhatsApp viral audio of the Director General, Sports, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, letting off steam at the total lack of facilities, and the logistical nightmares in Karachi.

DG's Grievances: "This isn't Peshawar, where you can head straight to Saddar! This is Karachi, where you set out for the Small Industrial Area and end up in Korangi! It's not the destinations this city changes; it's the people."

This was more than a complaint; it was a candid confession that when venues are scattered across a massive city, when the transport plan is nonexistent, and when athletes are left to fend for themselves, this is the inevitable result. The underlying question: if the administrative head is struggling to find his way, what hope do the players have?

The athletes aptly dubbed the event the "Remote Games." In the words of one player, "The sweat is shed on the field, but the decisions are draining our WhatsApp data packages."

The comic tragedy was underlined further by another audio, this one in Pashto, from the DG himself, who had just left the Taekwondo event and was frantically waiting to receive the venue for the remaining games. It was less about the National Games and more like a Sports Treasure Hunt, where the main character was Google Maps and the reward was reaching the right venue on time.

The athletes were squeezed into taxis and rickshaws; the solitary official team vehicle moved at the pace of bureaucratic protocol.

The daily allowance was being spent at the alarming rate of Karachi's high fuel prices.

Only the rickshaw drivers were happy, since their fares were as unregulated as the administrative decisions of the city.

The greatest grievance of the athletes was that they spent more time hunting for the venue rather than actually practicing their respective sports. Some could not find the bowling center, others missed the hockey field, and those who reached the Squash Complex were sent to the School of Waiting because the number of courts was limited, the queues were long, and the schedule was chaotic. Why hold competitions in a smaller facility when an excellent facility like the Navy Squash Club was available?

The comment of athletes perfectly caught the bureaucracy where meetings are virtual but the on-ground reality is completely neglected. "We hear the voices, but we cannot see the faces."

This story is not about delay and mismanagement alone; it is a question mark over the system where success and failure have now been reduced to a viral video on social media. It is these audio clips that exposed the truth, which normally gets hidden behind official explanations and is buried deep in the files.

One factor is constant behind sports failure. That factor is: The failure to assign responsibility. The problem is old, but the methods are new: audio messages, WhatsApp chats, social media trends. But the solution remains the same: nonexistent. The world works on sports science and technology. We have athletes hunting for rickshaws before a match. We dream of drone tracking, yet depend on WhatsApp location sharing to hope that all will be well. The plea of athletes: Do not simply expect us to win; save us from the administrative chaos. Poor logistics, mental fatigue, and physical distress are the biggest enemies of performance.

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