Reviving hockey

Pakistan hockey is struggling for every breath. Yet an opportunity that would offer it a new lease of life has been turned down by the Pakistan Hockey Federation, presumably with the backing of the other powers that matter. After the PHF was forced to close down a camp being run in Rawalpindi for its national players due to a paucity of funds required to pay out stipends and meet other expenses, Hockey India and its Secretary General Muhammad Mushtaque Ahmed wrote to the PHF Secretary General Rana Mujahid, offering to raise funds for Pakistan hockey so that our team can take part in qualifying events aimed at reaching the 2016 Rio Olympics.
India and Pakistan have been long-standing rivals on the hockey field. This was displayed last year at the Champions Trophy in India where the two teams met in the semi final. Allegedly obscene behaviour from the winning Pakistan team has led to an inquiry by the International Hockey Federation which is continuing. But despite these realities, the Indian offer appears to be a genuine and extremely generous one. Both nations today struggle to keep up a tradition in hockey that has brought them accolades in the past. Given the desperate situation of Pakistan hockey, with the PHF forced to accept funding from businessmen to send the team to India for the Champions Trophy last year, it would seem sensible to accept that there is a problem with the way things are run as far as support for hockey is concerned. Rather than shallow patriotism and bigotry the wider interest of the state of sports should be debated. Hockey is Pakistan’s national game. It has been treated terribly. This indeed is true of most other sports, with the exception of cricket. But we need more than just cricket in the country. Given the neglect hockey has faced at home, we need to find any means possible to keep it alive, take it off the respirator and allow it to flourish once more. Maybe the Indian offer will shame and shake our own government to provide the desperately needed oxygen of funds.