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Pakistan Taekwondo in Crisis: Tribunal Verdict Exposes Governance Failures, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Hit Hardest

  Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow , Digital Creator Pakistan’s taekwondo structure is once again mired in administrative conflict, legal challenges, and provincial inequities. The recent tribunal verdict directing the Pakistan Sports Board to grant affiliation to the Balochistan Taekwondo Association and declaring the January 2026 elections of the Pakistan Taekwondo Federation unlawful has exposed deep structural flaws in the sport’s governance. The directive nullifying all decisions taken after January 1 has further intensified the crisis, casting doubt over selections, training camps, and national representation carried out during this period. This is not merely a provincial dispute. It is a systemic failure that raises serious questions about sports governance in Pakistan. If federation elections themselves violate rules, then every decision taken under that leadership becomes ethically and legally questionable. As usual, the primary victims are the athletes. Khyber Pakhtunkh...

Weight Loss Drugs in Pakistan: Usage, Risks, and Global Sports Perspective

  Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow Digital Creator The growing focus on physical fitness among Pakistan’s youth, coupled with rising obesity rates, has led to a surge in the use of weight loss drugs. Medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Semaglutide are becoming increasingly popular in the country, despite limited public awareness about their potential risks and misuse. Globally, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has increased monitoring of these drugs due to concerns that they may give elite athletes an unfair advantage. In Pakistan and other countries, the non-therapeutic use of these drugs is also on the rise. Semaglutide-based drugs were initially developed for patients with diabetes. They help reduce weight by improving insulin sensitivity and suppressing appetite. However, in recent years, these medications have become popular for non-medical use as well. Ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics , WADA has begun evaluating the possibility of banning these drugs. The ag...

The Curious Case of the Missing Fleet: How 20 Government Vehicles Went on an Unofficial Vacation

  Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow Digital Creator In a province where athletes struggle for travel allowances, grounds lack basic facilities, and coaches double as clerks, the most well-funded sports delegation appears to be… the السيارات themselves. Yes, the official fleet of the سپورٹس ڈائریکٹوریٹ خیبرپختونخوا seems to have mastered the art of strategic disappearance better than any professional magician. According to sources, twenty government vehicles quietly slipped out of the system. No dramatic heist. No Hollywood-style chase. No tire marks. Just administrative silence. Five of these mechanical nomads have reportedly returned, perhaps homesick or low on fuel. The remaining fifteen, however, continue their mysterious sabbatical. Let us be clear. Vehicles do not vanish. Files vanish. Accountability vanishes. Vehicles require drivers, fuel logs, maintenance records, duty rosters, and authorization slips. A car cannot simply wake up one morning, stretch its suspension, and ...

Silence, Shadow Participation, and the Erosion of Fair Play in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports

  Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow Digital Creator Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s sports system is not collapsing overnight. It is eroding quietly through administrative negligence, opaque decision-making, and a pattern of selective silence. The most recent and troubling manifestation of this decay is the undocumented presence and participation of Afghan athletes and coaches across provincial sports complexes, district competitions, and even national-level events. This is not a xenophobic argument. It is a governance argument. The issue is not nationality. The issue is the absence of rules, records, and accountability. At the center of this institutional vacuum sits the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Directorate, which appears unable or unwilling to provide basic data: How many Afghan athletes are training in provincial facilities? How many are coaching? Who authorized their participation? Under what policy framework are they being accommodated? The Data Black Hole: Not an Oversight, a System...

"Why Are Sports in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Stagnant? Associations Stuck in Old Patterns, New Blood Needed"

  Musarrat Ullah Jan , Kikxnow , Digital Creator Have you ever wondered why sports in our province are floundering? It seems the same people have entrenched themselves in the system, and their connection to sports is as distant as the government’s connection to the public. These individuals hold positions as presidents, secretaries, joint secretaries, or members across almost every sports association, regardless of whether they have any real experience in that sport. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s 35 districts, one often finds a single individual dominating multiple sports. A person who once played basketball might also serve as secretary for netball, volleyball, tennis, table tennis, and athletics. The result is that one personality becomes central to nearly all sports operations. Martial arts provide a clear example. Although multiple disciplines exist, one “master” often takes responsibility for competitions and administration across all martial arts sports. The problem is that t...

"Why Are Sports in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Stagnant? Associations Stuck in Old Patterns, New Blood Needed"

  Musarrat Ullah Jan , Kikxnow , Digital Creator Have you ever wondered why sports in our province are floundering? It seems the same people have entrenched themselves in the system, and their connection to sports is as distant as the government’s connection to the public. These individuals hold positions as presidents, secretaries, joint secretaries, or members across almost every sports association, regardless of whether they have any real experience in that sport. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s 35 districts, one often finds a single individual dominating multiple sports. A person who once played basketball might also serve as secretary for netball, volleyball, tennis, table tennis, and athletics. The result is that one personality becomes central to nearly all sports operations. Martial arts provide a clear example. Although multiple disciplines exist, one “master” often takes responsibility for competitions and administration across all martial arts sports. The problem is that t...

KP Sports Directorate Fails to Provide Key Coaching Information Despite RTI Request

  Musarrat Ullah Jan , Kikxnow, Digital Creator Since 2024, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Directorate has failed to respond to a Right to Information (RTI) request that raised serious questions about the province's cricket coaching framework. The RTI sought clarification on several critical points: the location of permanent coaches, the number of active cricket coaches, and the training these coaches have received through the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), including the specific courses they attended. Additional concerns were raised regarding Muazullah Khan Cricket Academy, questioning the background of its coaches—whether they played cricket at the national, provincial, or college level—and their qualifications to train young players. The Directorate has also not disclosed how many daily-wage staff are currently employed, leaving transparency in cricket coaching administration in KP under scrutiny. The continued withholding of this information has drawn criticism from lo...

Charsadda: Financial and Usage Records of Parang Sports Ground Pending Since August

  Musarrat Ullah Jan , Kikxnow, Digital Creator Charsadda — A request for financial and administrative records of Parang Sports Ground in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been pending since August 2025, exceeding the timeframe set under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information Act 2013 . The request sought verified information for fiscal years 2023–24, 2024–25, and 2025–26 (to date), including details of ground usage, events, training camps, bookings, revenue, expenditures, and staff appointments and salaries. Specifically, the requested information included: ·          A monthly and event-wise list of all matches, competitions, training camps, and bookings ·          The type of sport for each event, team names, and the number of players ·          Copies of ground allotments, permits, and booking forms ·          De...

Army Chief Inter-Club Hockey Tournament Has Revived Hockey at the Grassroots Level, Says Syed Zahir Shah

  Musarrat Ullah Jan , Kikxnow, Digital Creator Real development of hockey comes from clubs and grassroots, not from exhibition events The Army Chief Inter-Club Hockey Tournament has played a key role in reviving hockey at the grassroots level, according to Syed Zahir Shah, President of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Hockey Association and Vice President of the Pakistan Hockey Federation. Speaking in detail about hockey development in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, grassroots activities, the Army Chief Inter-Club Hockey Tournament, and recent criticism raised in the provincial assembly, he shared his views openly and at length. Syed Zahir Shah said that continuity and work at the grassroots level are the most important factors in the development of any sport, and recent hockey activities are a positive step in that direction. Talking about the Army Chief Inter-Club Hockey Tournament, he said its biggest strength is continuity. This is not a one-off or symbolic event. It was held last year and...

Table Tennis Robots or Robotic Excuses? KP Sports Directorate’s Claims vs Reality

  Musarrat Ullah Jan ,KiKxNow , Digital Creator The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Sports Directorate claims that in 2018–19, it purchased two state-of-the-art table tennis robots from China, branded as YT, for a total cost of PKR 597,500. According to the Directorate, these machines have trained hundreds of athletes, contributing to gold medals and top positions in competitions such as the Inter Board, Federal Board, and the South Asian Championship in Quetta. They insist that the machines are in full working condition and actively support player development. However, the reality tells a very different story. Of the two machines, one is locked away in a room with a coach, effectively gathering dust, while the other lies unused on the ground in public view. Coaches report that operating these robots requires expensive balls—worth over PKR 100,000—which the Directorate has not provided due to budget constraints. Consequently, the machines were reportedly used only once before being aba...