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I second with that - in Pakistan only one athlete participate in winter olympics. And there were 2 assistant with him, now you can realize how much interest Pakistani have in other games. Only a few people have interest in other sports. cricket is the game which can be played with least investment that is one of the reason kids play cricket and then they get interested in cricket.
You cannot compare with the amount of athletes send for winter Olympics as a benchmark because how often we have snow in these regions round the clock, only specific regions have snowfall during winter and you cannot expect athletes without opportunities. Hockey is a major sport they play and they had some legendary players and they are good at it.
Yes - they play hockey, but it is not well admired. How many hockey players would a kid in Pakistan be knowing? On the other hand Boys play cricket in every street in Pakistan.
But for hockey - it is not the same. There is a small segment of people who watch hockey matches and who understand the game.