HOCKEY, for which Pakistan was once well known in the entire world, is now a picture of complete apathy. Once the most successful team and four time world cup winner today ranks so below that it has to play the qualifying rounds to secure a place in the World Cup, Olympics or the Champions Trophy. Several teams which were trained and coached by Pakistani players, including South Korea, Japan and Malaysia, are ahead of Pakistan in the world ranking.
The latest disappointing news is that Pakistan will not be able to play 2020 Tokyo Olympics, after facing humiliating defeat at the hands of Netherlands in Amstelveen on Sunday. This is the second consecutive time that Pakistan will not be part of one of the prestigious tournaments in hockey. What is more lamenting is that such developments are falling on the deaf ears of the relevant quarters. It is really painful to see the current hockey situation. But this has not happened all of a sudden. Political intervention, destruction of domestic structure and lack of facilities are the key reasons behind the collapse of hockey in the country. Apart from political intervention, Pakistan could not meet the latest infrastructure standards, which ultimately affected the team’s performance but also reduced youths’ interest in the sport. Firstly, there is need to revive the interests of youth in the hockey and for this Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) as well as former star hockey players will have to play their part with the support of the media so that the game could be revived at the grassroots level especially the schools and colleges. This will only help the country prepare a pool of talented players capable enough to compete at the international level and earn laurels for the country. But to attract the youth, there is also need to create a pull factor for them on the pattern of cricket by offering them better facilities, incentives and also job opportunities at public sector departments. Indeed the PHF cannot do this alone and the government will have to extend a helping hand to the Federation. The Federation should approach the PM and present its plan for the revival of the national game and the government should provide the resources to implement it. In our view, if hockey is not revived during PM Imran Khan’s tenure, then it will never be.
