Death of hockey

For Pakistan hockey, which has struggled for almost three decades now to stay afloat as an international power, all dreams have died. For the first time in history the national team failed to qualify for the Olympic Games, which will now be held without the squad in green. The country has never failed to qualify for the Olympics since it first took part in 1948, only months after the inception of the new nation. Along the way it has collected an admirable three gold medals, three silvers and three bronzes. But the last of these gold medals was in 1984 at Los Angeles. Since then we have faced the extraordinary decline of a sport that is still listed as our national game. The reality, however, is quite different. Today, with cricket moving into dominance fewer children have ever held a hockey stick. It is easy to blame the west for bringing in a whole set of new rules and changing the very surface the game was played on. But we have ourselves to blame too.
Pakistan failed to keep up with the times; it failed to use its position in the International Hockey Federation to protect the game and it failed to promote the sport at home. A few months ago a national camp had to be closed down as the Pakistan Hockey Federation lacked the funding to provide food and daily stipend for the players and coaches. India’s generous offer of help was declined. In these circumstances it is hard for any game to stay alive. Muhammad Imran, the captain at the qualifying tournament played in Belgium, and his young team cannot be blamed for what happened. Pakistan fought hard to reach the quarter-final where they were beaten 2-1 by Britain and then knocked out of the Olympics by losing to Ireland by a solitary goal. Will we ever make a comeback on the hockey team? It is difficult to answer the question. But for now, for those of us old enough to remember, we are left only with memories of the magic wielded by men like Samiullah, Hassan Sardar, Manzoor Junior and the many others who came before and after them. The hope for hockey is dying. The forming of an inquiry committee and resignations of people like Islahuddin Siddiqui, chief selector of the hockey team who resigned on Saturday, cannot change the results. The game needs resuscitation. But now no one seems to be available to offer this lifeline to the sport which is now in true danger of dying away in our country.