Sialkot’s declining sports industry

Published March 22, 2011
Workers pack soccer balls into sacks before they are dispatched for sale at a factory.
Workers pack soccer balls into sacks before they are dispatched for sale at a factory.
Workers pack soccer balls at a factory.
Workers pack soccer balls at a factory.
Ramzan Ahmed, 70, stitches a soccer ball at a factory.
Ramzan Ahmed, 70, stitches a soccer ball at a factory.
Safder Ahmed, 45, applies paint to field hockey sticks at a factory.
Safder Ahmed, 45, applies paint to field hockey sticks at a factory.
Mirza Asif, 35, applies the final coats of varnish to a cricket bat at a factory.
Mirza Asif, 35, applies the final coats of varnish to a cricket bat at a factory.
A worker looks over cricket balls ready for packing at a factory.
A worker looks over cricket balls ready for packing at a factory.
Shakeel Aslam, 13, strings cane onto the handle of a cricket bat at a factory.
Shakeel Aslam, 13, strings cane onto the handle of a cricket bat at a factory.
Shakeel Aslam, 13, strings cane onto the handle of a cricket bat at a factory.
Shakeel Aslam, 13, strings cane onto the handle of a cricket bat at a factory.

Pakistan's eastern city of Sialkot has been a major source of sports goods for international sporting events for decades. Recent exports of sports goods have fallen to an average $290 million from $343 million over the past four years because of the decline in Pakistan's share in international markets, according to Pakistan's Federal Bureau of Statistics. - Photos by Reuters

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