Hockey crisis

This refers to the news report, ‘Agony as Pakistan fail to make cut for Rio Olympics’ (July 4). It was a black day in the history of our national game. The downfall of our national game is not sudden. It is the outcome of controversial management and selection of team members on the basis of favouritism. Financial constraints remain the permanent slogan of the Pakistan Hockey Federation. Neither the government nor the PHF has ever taken the issues confronting hockey seriously.
We are all responsible for the downfall of our national game. We never treated our hockey heroes like the way we treat our cricket heroes. We never recognised and appreciated the past glories of our hockey team. Even our media does not give equal coverage to hockey. It is time for us to decide whether to permanently sideline hockey and change our national game or order a high level inquiry into our decline and then reorganise the game.
Engr Muhammad Rafique Khattak
Risalpur