PAKISTAN will not be a part of football matches at the Olympics, but footballs manufactured in Sialkot will. After a Chinese machine-made ball was selected for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, breaking years of Pakistani domination, Sialkot’s official selection as producer for the Olympics should please Pakistani fans of the game and serve as a morale booster for the Sialkot sports-manufacturing industry. Until 2000, Pakistan was the world leader in football production. But several factors, including global concerns about child labour, competition from China and Thailand, and production issues related to the power crisis have reduced the country’s share considerably. The Chinese ball used in 2010 had come under intense criticism from leading players, and the selection of the colourful Sialkoti ball for the Olympics instead is a sign that despite the industry’s difficulties Pakistani footballs were able to meet players’ needs and that leading multinational sports brands continue to look to Sialkot for world-class footballs.

The challenge now is to regain the city’s slot as world leader in the sector. Proper attention paid to Sialkot’s sports-manufacturing sector can not only provide much-needed jobs and bring in valuable foreign exchange, it could also help improve Pakistan’s unenviable global public image. Manufacturers need to be able to compete with the savvy and technology of foreign producers while adhering to global standards against child labour. The power shortage is, of course, a national issue and needs to be addressed from the top. With commitment to quality and proper marketing, it should be possible for Sialkot to recapture its share in the global sports market. In the meantime, we should celebrate the contribution Pakistan will make to global sporting competition this summer.