Hockey coach delays joining training camp

LAHORE: Pakistan hockey coach Michel Van Den Heuvel has delayed joining the national team’s training camp that starts on August 11 at the Army Sports and Physical Training School in Abbottabad.

Heuvel expressed security concerns and has conveyed his reservations to the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) while urging that the camp for the Commonwealth and the Asian Games be held in Holland.

However, upon the PHF’s assurance, Heuvel agreed to join the training camp but will still miss the initial phase thus attending the camp for just four days from August 16. The 25 probables for the camp will be shortlisted to 18 before the selected players travel to the Netherlands for another 20-day training session from September to prepare for the events in India and China. During their training in Holland, Pakistan are also due to play matches against Germany, Belgium and Poland.

Heuvel initially took up the coaching assignment after German Paul Lissek and Australian Barry Dancer both turned down Pakistan due to safety concerns in the country. The Dutch has since then visited Pakistan once and urged the PHF to hold training camps in other countries.

The cash-strapped PHF has also been reduced to talks of holding Pakistan’s home series in Dubai after the general secretary Asif Bajwa said that the Dubai Sports City is an alternative.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 8^th, 2010.