Pinning on hope from the depths of despair
hockey has disappeared from the roster of educational institutes and lack of nurseries has affected the results.
The writer is an editorial consultant at The Express Tribune
A Hockey World Cup is underway. Twelve teams from around the world are fighting for the coveted prize. There is a goals galore at Hague, the heart of the Netherlands.
The colours white and green are represented too, but those kits are not worn by Pakistani players! Yes, the four-time world champions, who introduced the World Cup to hockey, are not featured in the event after failing to qualify for the quest of a trophy which was literally owned by them.
From 1971 to 1994, four out of the first eight editions of the premier event were won by Pakistan. They also made it to the final in 1975 and 1990, but 20 years since the Sydney triumph, the national sports team has plummeted to a nosedive of epic proportions.
A lot has been spoken and written about the demise of the national sport in this country. Most of the experts and hockey players of the Golden Age feel that a lack of assistance from the government and the steady decline in interest in sports at the school and college level are the leading reasons for the lamentable standard of the game.
Hockey was, in the days gone by, the number one passion for students across the country. For instance, the Habib Public School in Karachi was considered a nursery for budding players and produced many players of international pedigree.
But, in recent decades, hockey has disappeared from the roster of educational institutes and the lack of nurseries has greatly affected the results on the field.
The 1994 triumph in Sydney was a pulsating win by a Pakistan team brimming with talent. However, immediately after the tournament, seasoned players like Waseem Feroz and Rana Mujahid were dispensed with. Captain Shahbaz Ahmed also failed to conjure the talismanic touch of old and faded away, despite more than one comeback for important events.
Once the nucleus of the team was broken, the standard of the game started to drop steadily. The only blip was the victory under Zeeshan Ashraf during the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.
Months before the Guangzhou triumph, the Greenshirts stuttered to their worst show in a global event, finishing in the 12th spot in the Delhi World Cup.
The Pakistan Hockey Federation, at that time, declared the result unacceptable, promised to start a new chapter and arrest the problem straight-up.
Unfortunately, four years on, the only plus for the federation is that the team can’t deliver a worse performance than the one in Delhi — simply because they failed to qualify for the Hague event.
During these four years, a series of poor results engulfed the team that limped its way through a qualifying tournament in Malaysia last year, the last chance of sealing a World Cup berth was winning the Asia Cup but the Greenshirts crashed in the semi-finals against South Korea.
A group of former Olympians led by former World Cup winning captain, Islahuddin Siddiqui, recently joined the federation, vowing to put behind the days of despair and prepare a strong unit for the years ahead.
But the hockey enthusiast of the country want to know who is responsible for the mess that has sucked the spirit out of the national players, both at the junior and senior levels.
The fledgling spirits have not only afflicted the players and fans, even the sponsors have deserted the sport. In such a scenario, one feels that only a miracle can put hockey back on track.
Accountability is not a term that Pakistanis are comfortable with in any sphere of life. The powerful ones among us possess almost a license from hell to exercise their will in the way they desire.
Sports, and hockey in particular, has also unfortunately met the same fate.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 5th, 2014.
The colours white and green are represented too, but those kits are not worn by Pakistani players! Yes, the four-time world champions, who introduced the World Cup to hockey, are not featured in the event after failing to qualify for the quest of a trophy which was literally owned by them.
From 1971 to 1994, four out of the first eight editions of the premier event were won by Pakistan. They also made it to the final in 1975 and 1990, but 20 years since the Sydney triumph, the national sports team has plummeted to a nosedive of epic proportions.
A lot has been spoken and written about the demise of the national sport in this country. Most of the experts and hockey players of the Golden Age feel that a lack of assistance from the government and the steady decline in interest in sports at the school and college level are the leading reasons for the lamentable standard of the game.
Hockey was, in the days gone by, the number one passion for students across the country. For instance, the Habib Public School in Karachi was considered a nursery for budding players and produced many players of international pedigree.
But, in recent decades, hockey has disappeared from the roster of educational institutes and the lack of nurseries has greatly affected the results on the field.
The 1994 triumph in Sydney was a pulsating win by a Pakistan team brimming with talent. However, immediately after the tournament, seasoned players like Waseem Feroz and Rana Mujahid were dispensed with. Captain Shahbaz Ahmed also failed to conjure the talismanic touch of old and faded away, despite more than one comeback for important events.
Once the nucleus of the team was broken, the standard of the game started to drop steadily. The only blip was the victory under Zeeshan Ashraf during the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.
Months before the Guangzhou triumph, the Greenshirts stuttered to their worst show in a global event, finishing in the 12th spot in the Delhi World Cup.
The Pakistan Hockey Federation, at that time, declared the result unacceptable, promised to start a new chapter and arrest the problem straight-up.
Unfortunately, four years on, the only plus for the federation is that the team can’t deliver a worse performance than the one in Delhi — simply because they failed to qualify for the Hague event.
During these four years, a series of poor results engulfed the team that limped its way through a qualifying tournament in Malaysia last year, the last chance of sealing a World Cup berth was winning the Asia Cup but the Greenshirts crashed in the semi-finals against South Korea.
A group of former Olympians led by former World Cup winning captain, Islahuddin Siddiqui, recently joined the federation, vowing to put behind the days of despair and prepare a strong unit for the years ahead.
But the hockey enthusiast of the country want to know who is responsible for the mess that has sucked the spirit out of the national players, both at the junior and senior levels.
The fledgling spirits have not only afflicted the players and fans, even the sponsors have deserted the sport. In such a scenario, one feels that only a miracle can put hockey back on track.
Accountability is not a term that Pakistanis are comfortable with in any sphere of life. The powerful ones among us possess almost a license from hell to exercise their will in the way they desire.
Sports, and hockey in particular, has also unfortunately met the same fate.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 5th, 2014.