Hockey: Lahore is green no more

Blue hockey turf to be laid for Olympics preparation.

KARACHI: The greet turf at the National Hockey Stadium, Lahore has been uprooted and will be replaced by a blue one to replicate playing conditions at this year’s London Olympics.

The Punjab Sports Board has set May 15 as deadline for the work and the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) was hopeful that the blue turf will be laid before the time period. According to details, the work to remove the old turf started on Saturday and took almost three days to complete.

The delay in laying the blue turf has already drawn criticism from various Olympians, including Pakistan head coach Akhtar Rasool, who demanded that the new surface be put in place immediately.

“We’re hopeful that the turf will be laid by next month,” said a PHF official. “The players will get ample time to prepare for the Olympics.”

It remains to be seen whether the team will get the time to prepare on the new surface for the Azlan Shah Cup that will be played in late May.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18^th, 2012.