Hockey has-beens

Germany won the Hockey World Cup 2023. The tournament was hosted by India and concluded on January 29, with Germany beating Belgium in the final to become world champions. Missing from the entire affair were four time champions Pakistan. Our tally of world cup wins is the most out of any country, which speaks volumes about the level of our decline. It is like Brazil failing to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.

Many international experts have pointed to the lack of infrastructure as one of the major reasons for the decline. In the past, various governments and private enterprises supported hockey, but in recent times this support has declined at a rapid rate. Hockey stadiums nowadays aren’t used for training but rather for other miscellaneous purposes. The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) needs to investigate the reasons behind our failure to qualify for the biggest competition in what is supposed to be our national sport. The same cannot happen in 2026.

Sarib Ijaz

Rawalpindi