LAHORE, Oct 15: Former Olympian Qasim Zia has been appointed as the 23rd president of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday.

The post was falling vacant since Oct 13 when Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali tendered his resignation.

Qasim’s international career as fullback spread from 1981 to 87 in which he scored 15 goals.

He was part of the team which had won the gold medal in the Los Angles Olympics in 1984.

During his career, Qasim took part in World Cup, Asian Games and various other international competitions.

When contacted by Dawn, Qasim said he would announce his policy about reviving the sport in the country at a press conference in a couple of days, most probably on Thursday.