This might surprise you that the sport which people play the most in your country is not the national sport. At least, this is not an unusual thing in Pakistan, We all have watched people playing cricket the most and that is a likable sport for most of them in the country but when you study official national sport in books, hockey is the answer.
For anyone growing up watching hockey, during the 1990s, few teams embodied the big-match character and swagger like the Pakistanis. Pakistan was a name to be remembered within the world of field hockey. If I have to sum up its worldwide fame these words are enough: three Olympic gold medals, four world cups (the most by any nation in the history of the sport), eight gold medals at the Asian Games, and three champions’ trophies.
Today, though, that swagger has faded, and the entire network on which Pakistan hockey rests lies shaking on the edge. Currently, the team is ranked among the lowest in the world at 17th position. In the past, hockey legends such as Samiullah Khan saw thousands of fans greeting them as they brought home trophies, with crowds filling the streets. At present, the sport is played in under-filled stadiums, and its title as the official national sport comes as a surprise to some. Where once facing Pakistani team meant a definite defeat, now it has become a synonym for weakness and inconsistency.
Many reasons are there that added up to conditions that led to the decline of Pakistan hockey. One of many reasons is the introduction of artificial grass in the hockey world. The new pitches overturned the dynamic of the game, and especially the dribble and dodge tactics that Pakistan had perfected. It also demands much greater fitness and standards that Pakistani team has not been able to maintain. Crucially, changes to the game over the decades have meant that hockey now is a game different from the one that Pakistanis mastered in their prime time. Where others adapted, Pakistan failed.
However, Pakistani players are not the only ones to blame. The Pakistan Hockey Federation has been unable to give its players the international exposure and facilities, they once did. The reason is both the lack of funds and the inefficiency in using what is provided. After the 1992 cricket world cup win, all the media’s and nation’s interest shifted dramatically towards cricket. Because of this negligence, our new generation has a very little to no interest in hockey. The ever-increasing glamour of cricket does not help hockey as both the corporate sector and the government are attracted towards more lucrative opportunities in cricket. The decline of domestic tournaments, which act as a key source of talent, has also been damaging. If things are to change, we need improvements at every level.
The truth is that building a team, which lives up to its legacy, is not an overnight process. Years of negligence cannot be rectified without years of consistent improvement in each and every aspect of the system. Starting at the grassroots is an excellent first step, because the one thing Pakistan has never lacked is a young generation full of talent and passion, ready to help it rise to even greater height. As someone said:
“You only see obstacles when you set your eyes off the goal”
