The biggest sporting extravaganza of the year, the Athens Olympics is just round the corner. And all the major hockey teams have been preparing themselves for this event for the past few years. However, Pakistan’s preparation still continues. And with a hectic summer awaiting them, I hope the players are fine-tuning themselves for the big event.
Throughout the months of June and July, as part of their continuing preparation, the Pakistani green shirts will remain on a whirlwind tour that will take them to several European countries. Our boys will be engaged in numerous Tests as well as tournament games as part of the build-up for the Athens Olympiad.
The last that Pakistan stood on the medals table was when it secured the bronze medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Since then, the country has failed to secure any of the top three places in either the Atlanta games in 1996 or the Sydney Olympics that were held in 2000.
Nevertheless, my best wishes are with the national team, and I hope that they would perform well and go for gold; an honour that has eluded us for the past twenty years. Not only will such success bring back home the glory, it will also give the game a much needed boost domestically.
Though a podium finish should suffice for the Pakistani team, the players are confident that they can finally end the drought. This is good positive thinking by the team. For it is ten years since we last won a major tournament; it was the World Cup in Sydney.
Coach Roelant Oltmans led Holland to Olympic and world titles in the 1990s. It is this that the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) is pinning its hopes on.
Pakistan finished runner-ups in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Kuala Lumpur and later finished third in the 12-Nation Olympic Qualifiers in Madrid earlier this year. Though the improvements in the team’s overall performance are noticeable, the results have, however, not been up.
The countries that Pakistan will be touring this summer are England, Germany and Holland. Though I am quite sure that the team would have done its homework in the best possible way it remains to be seen whether or not the summer brings the ultimate good news to the country’s hockey fans, who have been waiting for the 1st place since 1984. It will all depend on how a bunch of 16 players perform on the hockey field from August 13 to 29 in Athens, during what promises to be the greatest sporting show on earth — the 2004 Olympic Games.
Current World Junior Champions, India recently beat Pakistan juniors and hosts comfortably in the one-sided final of the Asia Junior Cup, 5-2 at the Hockey Club of Pakistan stadium. It was India’s first Junior Asia title.
The Indians played planned and methodical hockey, laying more stress on attacking than defending. They led 2-0 at half-time before slamming three more goals in the second half. Pakistan almost staged a comeback after getting two goals. The real disappointment, however, for the crowd and the Pakistan team management was perhaps that the talented Pakistani youngsters could not combine together as they had done in the previous matches.
There was one consolation for the team and the PHF that after finishing second in the 10-nation championship, Pakistan has qualified for the final round of the World Junior Championship that will be staged in Holland in 2005.
Not regaining the Asian title for the fourth time was the only minus point for the Pakistani youngsters who were under constant training for the last two and half years. Still, in the shape of Imran Warsi, Pakistan have secured another plenty corner specialist. I hope he will fill Sohail Abbas’ shoes in future.
In the final, there was not much difference between the two teams except that the Indians had the tag of World Champions while Pakistan, thrice the winner of the event, had the backing of the home crowd. Their performance in the earlier matches had promised a great match in the final. But it was the Indian captain Sandeep Singh who made all the difference with his superb interception and tackling, bursting through the defences for good moves.
The championship bore other fruits as well. After many years, a major international hockey tournament was held in the country. And, following the thaw in relations between India and Pakistan, the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) has invited the PHF to make available 25 Pakistani hockey players, including seniors and juniors, who will take part in the inaugural Indian hockey league that will be starting in December and January. Now that would be a treat to watch; seeing both the Pakistani and Indians playing together in one team.
