Field hockey is a popular sport among women in the United States. The US women’s team is flexing its muscles ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games which begin in Paris from July 26. The US women have qualified for the Olympiad for the first time since 2016 and will be gunning for a medal in Paris. It is getting all the help from experts and one of them belongs to Pakistan. Shahid Ali Khan, one of the legends of Pakistan hockey, has been regularly training leading goalkeepers of the US. Though he is not attached directly with the national hockey team, Shahid helps train leading national team goalies at the WC Eagles Club in one of the suburbs of Philadelphia, where he is currently serving as a full-time coach.

The team aims to create Olympic history after an impressive run at the FIH Olympic Qualifiers in Ranchi, India. The team upset World No. 8 India and No. 11 New Zealand and didn’t concede a single goal until the second half of their final match against the eventual champions, Germany.

Now the team is hoping for an Olympic medal and Shahid believes that it can achieve this target. “The US women’s team is certainly capable of producing big surprises in Paris,” says Shahid, hero of Pakistan’s 1982 World Cup triumph.

In an interview with The News on Sunday, Shahid lamented the fact that over the years Pakistan hockey has slumped and the national team even fails to qualify for major events like the Olympic Games and the World Cup.

“Unfortunately, hockey is a dying sport in Pakistan,” says Shahid who saw the golden period of Pakistan hockey during his career that spanned over 135 international matches. “Due to one reason or the other, the standard of our hockey has gone down. There was a time when we used to win major titles but now we cannot even qualify for the Olympics and the World Cup. It is a really painful situation.”

Shahid believes that Pakistan hockey has slumped to an extent that it will almost be impossible for the country to revive its glory years.

“The problem with Pakistan hockey is that it has really almost continuously been on a decline for the past 20-25 years. There are multiple reasons behind it: Bad management, lack of hard work, insufficient funds, shrinking of the player pool. The government’s decision to stop giving jobs to hockey players came as the last nail in the coffin.”

Shahid is of the view that if the authorities are truly committed in their campaign to lift Pakistan hockey, they will need to take several long-term steps: revival of departmental hockey, jobs for players, proper facilities, international participation for experience and exposure.

“It is a long list and will need a lot of commitment, planning and funds. Unfortunately I don’t think that there is a will to launch such a campaign which is why I continue to fear for Pakistan hockey.”

Shahid is one of Pakistan’s most celebrated goal-keepers and played important roles in title-winning triumphs in the 1982 World Cup in Mumbai and the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He also has two Asian Games and three Asia Cup gold medals under his belt.

Shahid also served as goalkeeping coach of the national team and was elevated as the national coach. However, he moved to the US a few years back and after a stint in Dallas signed up with top-flight American field hockey club – WC Eagles.