Hockey tragedy

The tragic story – over the last two and a half decades – of Pakistan hockey’s failures and faltering attempts to rise up once more from the very bottom of the hierarchy where it has ended up was delivered another blow last week when Dutch coach Roelant Oltmans announced that he was stepping down from his post as coach. Oltmans, who had guided the Dutch men and women’s team to World Cup and Olympic titles, had been appointed in February this year for a period of two years, but stated in a telling letter to the PHF that he would be unable to continue. While the reason Oltmans gives for this is his feeling of responsibility for Pakistan’s especially dismal performances this year, when it finished seventh at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast in April this year and last at the Champion’s Trophy, there are more telling phrases in the letter from a man who has also previously been associated with Pakistan Hockey.

Oltmans suggests that in the current environment, it would be difficult to take Pakistan Hockey forward and that the PHF was not in a position to correct this environment as things stood today. The language used may be diplomatic but there is every reason to believe that Oltmans is referring to the petty politics that afflict many Pakistani sports including hockey; to a sporting set-up which denies players adequate resources; and to the overall management of sports which has led to a situation where it has virtually withered away and died at the grassroots level.

Hockey is the national game of Pakistan and was once played on every village green and every open ground in cities. Today, few children understand the dynamics of the game or have ever held a hockey stick in their hands. Pakistan hockey’s decline is a consequence of a failure to keep up with improvements made around the world in technique, fitness and alterations in the rules of the game. Muhammad Saqlain, ex-player and coach of the Pakistan hockey team, who worked with Oltmans during his brief stint in Pakistan, said prior to Oltmans departure that he felt Pakistan hockey needed an improved forward line, an enhanced ability to take penalty corners and upgraded fitness. This essentially amounts to a complete overhaul of the team. Our sporting administrators should be thinking hard. There have also been disciplinary problems within Pakistan hockey. Put together, it all reflects how far hockey has fallen and how difficult it will now be to pull it back up onto the medal stand if serious work is not undertaken.