Pakistan regained some faith of their fans when they won the Asian Games hockey gold last year. —File photo by AP

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan hockey team is currently undergoing a training camp to prepare for the upcoming Sultan Azlan Shah Cup but their sights are set on next year’s Olympics.

After winning the gold medal at last year’s Asian Games, the team’s next big target is the Olympic gold, manager Khawaja Junaid revealed on Tuesday.

“We are looking to develop a core group of young and experienced players by the end of the year that will form a formidable team for the London Olympics.”

Back on track Pakistan hockey received a vital boost last year, when the national team won gold at the Guangzhou Asian Games after a series of disappointing results.

The tournament saw the return of form for world’s leading goal scorer Sohail Abbas, who came back from retirement during the hockey world cup in India, earlier that year.

The world cup itself was a disastrous outing for the greenshirts, who ended as the last-positioned team at 12, their worst finish in the history of the tournament.

Junaid termed the Asian Games win as a much needed boost, which has reignited national interest in the sport

“Our initial target was the Asian Games, which we achieved and now want to have a successful Olympic campaign in order to regain our status in hockey,” he said.