“There are hardly eight months left and there is nothing left to plan for.” -File photo

Former Pakistan hockey star Qamar Ibrahim slammed Pakistan Hockey Federation’s decision to call upon former Olympians to evolve a strategy for the 2012 London Olympics at the ‘last minute.’

“It is completely ridiculous to call anyone to devise a strategy for London Olympics now. There are hardly eight months left and there is nothing left to plan for and the federation should stick to its objectives. If they wanted to get former Olympics on board for the London Olympics then they should have done it three or four years back, not now,” the 1992 Olympics bronze medalist, Ibrahim told PPI.

PHF has called over 40 former Olympians on 28th November in Lahore to ‘devise a plan’ for the London Games.

Ibrahim said that he was amused by the idea of devising a strategy at the eleventh hour.

“If I had been the coach, I would have stepped down right away if anyone had told me that I must consider inputs from others, when less than a year is left. It is completely ridiculous.”

He said that the federation’s move was completely imprudent and if the former Olympians indulged in this exercise then their intentions were also questionable.

Ibrahim said that perhaps the federation wanted to take the former Olympians on board to ensure that there would be less criticism against it if the green-shirts failed to perform in the mega event.

“There is nothing plausible in the federation’s move,” he reiterated.

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