Gold medal victory in the Asian Games will make a huge difference in efforts to revive the fortunes of national sport of hockey, says former Olympian Shahnaz Shaikh. "It's good to see us winning in hockey after so many years. The win was also necessary for the future of our national game," Shahnaz said.
He said passion for hockey had been on the wane after a spate of defeats for the national team in the past decade or so before the title victory at the 16th Asian Games at Guangzhou (China) vivified efforts of Pakistan Hockey Federation to regain the past glory.
He said the win had earned a place for Pakistan in London 2012 Olympics and the country fully deserved that. He expressed the optimism that if the boys continued playing with the same passion they would be a tough side for any team to beat.
Shahnaz said he had been saying that Pakistani players were talented but they must have the hunger and urge to win and in Asian Games they proved that Pakistan were among the best outfits of the world. "They played like a unit and were excellent both at attacking and defending", he said.
He said he had already predicted that Pakistan would defeat Malaysia at least by the margin of two goals in the final. "At no point in the tournament I saw our players tired. In all the matches, I noted that they were ambitious to win. I was sure they will defeat Malaysia at least by two goals," he added.
He also asked the government to revive two per cent quota for players in schools and colleges, which he added was necessary for the promotion of sports.
Former Olympian said that the hockey team had been passing through crisis for the last several years and the win would help Pakistan to regain its lost status in the game.
He appreciated the on-field aggressive attitude of players but said that they were well supported by the defence, particularly the goalkeeper.