Hockey needs a revamp

Earlier this month at the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai, a leading continental hockey tournament, former champions Pakistan crashed to a dismal fifth place finish. It was Pakistan’s worst-ever performance in the history of the six-nation contest. The young Pakistani team could just beat China, drew against Japan and Korea and lost to Malaysia and old rivals India. They failed to qualify for the semi-finals on the basis of an inferior goal average and had to contend with a fifth spot after thrashing China in the playoffs. Despite the fact that it was a poor result, for any one who has been following Pakistan hockey, it wasn’t an unexpected one. Over the years, Pakistan have slumped in the world and Asian hockey rankings and currently lag behind former international minnows like Wales, Ireland, South Africa and Malaysia. Pakistan are currently ranked at No 16 in international rankings, a far cry from the No 1 position they once held. Pakistan were unlikely to challenge the supremacy of old rivals India in Chennai and started as underdogs even against Malaysia and Korea. The Indians went on to win the title in front of a packed home crowd and have now jumped to No 3 in the world rankings.

While the Indians are celebrating, Pakistan hockey has been plunged into yet another era of turmoil. Just days after the Chennai setback, the government decided to suspend the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) and ordered fresh elections. The step was taken on the basis of the fact that the national team has been unable to impress much at the international level in the last several years. But sacking PHF officials and replacing them with new ones will hardly make a difference to Pakistan hockey. Such steps have been taken in the past but nothing changed. Any positive change is unlikely in the future either unless a series of concrete steps are taken to revive and revamp the sport in the country.

Pakistan hockey has a rich legacy. We have won a record four World Cup titles, three Olympic titles and eight Asian Games gold medals besides countless other international laurels. But our last World Cup title came almost 30 years ago. Once a national pastime, hockey is no longer a very popular sport in Pakistan. Our pool of players has shrunk over the years. Our team rarely gets an opportunity to play top-level competitions. All of this has to change if Pakistan hockey needs to make a comeback. The Indians have invested heavily in their hockey during the last couple of decades and are now reaping the rewards. We need to follow suit. Pakistan hockey needs a comprehensive development plan and the will and required funds to implement it. A mere change of faces in the PHF won’t make much of a difference.