Hockey: ‘Unity has become our main weapon’

Hockey coach happy with team spirit ahead of the Games.

KARACHI:

Pakistan hockey players are not fasting for obvious reasons but the essence of the holy month has helped the Greenshirts.

“The players have delayed fasting,” Pakistan coach Khwaja Junaid told The Express Tribune. “We have to see the ground realities as players cannot give their best during training while fasting for 18 hours.”

However, the coach said the holy month has helped create a strong bond within the team.

“I can say I have not seen this harmony among the players in the past. We have trained very hard and we have the experience and talent but I feel unity has become our main weapon before the Olympics.”

It may be recalled that this will be the first summer Olympics campaign for Pakistan in Ramazan. The last time the holy month clashed with the event was in the 1980 Moscow Games when Pakistan did not participate after being part of the US-led boycott against the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 27^th, 2012.