As long as sports organisations are headed by political cronies, there is no hope for improvement
LAHORE: This was yet another disaster waiting to occur: failure of the Pakistan hockey team to qualify for the Olympics. Since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, we have not won a single medal in hockey at the Olympic level, yet the Pakistan Olympic Association is hostage to rival groups, with nothing to show in terms of performance. The choice to head the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) seems to be confined only to Qasim Zia and Akhtar Rasul, both former Olympians, now turned politicians.
The players cannot be blamed for this debacle, given that there were not enough funds available to even pay their allowances, hotel accommodation and fare. They need nutrition, training and enough funds for sustenance. As long as sports organisations are headed by political cronies, there is no hope for improvement. The PHF needs to be reorganised and restructured. Those responsible for financial pilferage must be given exemplary punishment for they have deprived this country of hope, happiness and good news.
Malik Tariq Ali
Published in The Express Tribune, July 5th, 2015.
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