We have been listening since long that there is no dearth of talent in the country. True, the talent is there, a strong urge is there, but what is conspicuous by its absence is good governance.
The apathy and indifference of the sports authorities at the governmental or organisational level was the major reason behinda constant slide in the standard of sports. No sincere efforts have ever been made to exploit the hidden potential and prepare a strong backup as replacement for the ageing and retiring players.
Unfortunately, however Pakistan is not among countries where sports is given due attention by the government. After every big event, the sports authorities in European countries and even in India make plans for future engagements. Since they sincerely believe in the philosophy of "catch 'em young," they are always in search of talent and provide them with the basic facilities of coaching and training at the grassroots level.
Following resignation of Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who is patron of the PHF, named former Olympian Qasim Zia as the 23rd President of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF). Meanwhile, the PHF Congress Committee has unanimously elected Qasim Zia as PHF President.
Besides, the committee also approved a record budget of Rs 373.3 million for the improvement of hockey infrastructure and improvement in the falling standard of the game. After the election, Qasim Zia said besides his political commitment as member of Punjab Assembly, he would give more time to hockey.
Another good news is that, the Prime Minister has announced Rs 100 million grant to the PHF for the promotion of the game. He also instructed various departments to provide jobs to young and talented players and revive old tradition patronising sports by raising their own teams.
It may be recalled that except for Habib Bank Limited, National Bank of Pakistan and Pakistan International Airlines, most departments have abolished their departments, depriving hundreds of players of their source of earning their livelihood. Qasim Zia's international career as fullback spread from 1981 to 1987 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 under the captaincy of an agile left-in Manzoor Junior.
During his career, Qasim took part in World Cup, Asian Games and various other international competitions. After his retirement from international hockey in 1987, Qasim joined Pakistan People's Party and is now a legislator of the Punjab Assembly.
Qasim said he would announce his policy about reviving the sport in the country at a press conference shortly. The new PHF chief said Pakistan historically enjoyed a rich record in international hockey as no other country had won four World Cups, and three Olympics golds, Champions Trophy and Asian Games, but now the team ranked sixth in Asia and eighth in the world at the moment.
Qasim said the game had touched the lowest ebb and it was a challenging task to revive it and to enable the country to regain its past glory. Qasim said that his target was to win the Asian Games 2010 hockey title, which is "quite possible with the team efforts from all the quarters. He said: "We still have almost 18 months to prepare the national team for the coveted title and I am confident that we will succeed.
He said he did not want to blame anyone who was at the helm in the past and instead, "we should learn from the past to make our future bright. "To regain the lost titles, we should encourage our players who have the talent, and with a comprehensive resurrection plan, things can work out for us. I would like to have the co-operation of former players and the provinces and want them to assist the PHF for this national cause," he said.
Talking to newsmen after his appointment, Qasim said his slogan was "Believe in Pakistan and believe in hockey" and he was determined to turn the fortunes of the game around pretty soon.
To a question he said if he found himself capable of running Pakistan hockey after being out of the picture for so long, Qasim said: "Hockey is in my blood and despite remaining away from it due to my political engagements, I kept regular contact with the game." He further said he would stress on the formation of such policies, which could benefit hockey, and there was a PHF team for the implementation.
Referring to the plight of national team players having no regular jobs, Qasim said they had different means of earning, but those who failed to play for Pakistan for various reasons had no future ahead and should be taken care of. About PHF Secretary Asif Bajwa's master plan for the improvement of national hockey, Qasim said: "I have gone through the details of the plan and overall it is good. But as things are changing rapidly, some alterations could be made accordingly."
There is no denying that the present day hockey belongs to Europe, hence the PHF officials are well advised to stop recalling the "past glories" and adopt the European strategies, including raising extra strong team according to the European standard. Former Dutch hockey legend Paul Litjens once said about Pakistan hockey that unless the PHF take corrective measures to improve the standard of the game, Pakistan's chances in the international hockey are bleak. So the new PFH leadership must keep in mind Litjen's wakeup call.
NO DEARTH OF TALENT: We have been listening since long that there is no dearth of talent in the country. True, the talent is there, the urge is there, but what is missing is good governance. Pakistan were fortunate to have produced quite a good number of outstanding sportsmen, who have made it to the top after learning the tricks of the game of their choice on the streets or at the backyard of their houses, without any proper guidance.
Sports authorities, too, admit that Pakistani sportsmen have the potential to prove their mettle in any game at the international level, but their tributes have never been materialised beyond the lip service.
While a few have braved the rude attitude of the sports bigwigs and made it to the top, the majority has eclipsed prematurely. Physical fitness and mental toughness are the basic requirements of any game, especially squash, hockey, football and athletics, but the country lacks the facility of an athletics fitness school, where the players, especially the athletes, could hone their skills under the guidance of specialists trainers.
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