First step: Greenshirts to finally receive Rs7.2 million

National hockey team awaits more prize money for medal-winning performances

KARACHI: Pakistan’s national hockey team is set to receive the first of the many monetary rewards promised to them for their silver-medal wins at the Asian Games and the Champions Trophy.

According to head coach Shahnaz Sheikh, Rs7.2 million has been released by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and handed over to Director General Sports Board of Punjab Usman Anwar.

“This will motivate the team to work harder for upcoming events,” Sheikh told The Express Tribune. “The players’ morale was on a downward spiral as there was hardly any encouragement from the government’s side; they have performed well and should be rewarded for that.”

It is pertinent to mention here that the Pakistan Hockey Federations (PHF) is yet to receive the prize money from the Punjab board.

Players to perform Umrah

As promised, the PHF is taking the team for Umrah in the first week of March, said Sheikh.

The federation had announced the plan in November and made arrangements for the players and the team management as a reward for their encouraging result at the Asian Games.

Meanwhile, the training camp aimed at preparing the team for the qualifying round of the 2016 Rio Olympics will be set up in Islamabad on the players’ return from Umrah.

The preparatory camp will also help the squad in the forthcoming Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, which will be held in the first week of April in Malaysia.

However, due to the current financial crisis, it is yet to be confirmed if the Greenshirts will participate in the latter event, and neither is it clear if they will tour South Korea and Australia as planned by the PHF.

The team is still awaiting the remaining prize money, which includes Rs2.5million from Malik Riaz for the Asian Games and Rs2 million and gold medals for the Asian Games and Champions Trophy from Omar Associates. Moreover, the Pakistan Sports Board is yet to pay them as per the National Sports Policy for both events.

 
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