A FIH delegation visited Pakistan last week to help revive the game in the country. Pakistan, once a powerhouse in Hockey, missed qualifying for the last World Cup in 2014 as well as for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
During their trip, FIH President Leandro Negre and FIH CEO Kelly Fairweather, accompanied by the CEO of the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF), Tayyab Ikram, met with Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Punjab Governor Malik Muhammad Rafique Rajwana, IOC member Syed Shahid Ali and the leadership of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) as well as the National Olympic Committee. The focus of all talks was on understanding the current challenges Pakistan hockey is facing and on improving the standard of the sport from grassroots to professional level.
Punjab is the biggest province of Pakistan and has an important role to play when it comes to supporting hockey at national level. The discussions with the political decision-makers were very productive and the Punjab government promised that they would provide every possible support for the progress of hockey.
Moreover, the visit enabled FIH and the AHF to identify the areas where external support is needed, to define priorities and agree with the PHF on the next steps. FIH and the AHF will now assist the PHF in implementing a development plan which aims at improving the skills of Pakistani coaches and umpires, in addition to arranging a series of matches for both senior and junior teams with other countries.
FIH President Leandro Negre said joint efforts would be kicked off by organising bilateral series between Pakistan and Asian countries:
“Once the Asian countries will start playing bilateral series, it will help Pakistan raise the standard of the game and gradually international hockey will also resume here. Moreover, FIH will also work to promote the game at school and college level in Pakistan.” He added: “There is a dire need to motivate the country’s youth to play hockey; and grassroots level is the best place to concentrate such efforts. I am sure that the PHF will start working to broaden the base of the game.”
FIH and the AHF are confident that the PHF and its competent leadership is on the right track in working on a sustainable future for Pakistan hockey.
