KUALA LUMPUR – The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) admits that the team’s Paris Olympics absence is a bitter pill for the nation to swallow and its impact will linger for years.
Known as the “Flying Green Horses” by their fans, the South Asian team have made a total of 16 appearances at the Olympics since their first participation in the 1948 edition in London.
Aside from missing this year’s Paris Olympics, Pakistan, who have won a total of eight Olympic medals (three golds, three silvers and two bronzes), also failed to qualify for the 2016 edition in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo 2020.
Speaking to Scoop from Lahore, PHF secretary-general Muhammad Asif Bajwa said it would be a tough task for the country to qualify for the next edition in Los Angeles until the federation was free from government influence.
“The whole nation is disappointed with us for missing this year’s Olympics. It hurts to see that we have failed to qualify for the Olympics for the last three consecutive editions as the Olympics has always been our identity.
“PHF has always worked hard to get the best in order for us to qualify for the Olympics, but things have never materialised because of so many external influences from the government on what we should do and how we should operate.
“We need a government that cares about the sport and does not dictate to us what to do. Issues may be happening, but we have to keep going. Thank God we now have coach Roelant Oltmans, and I have a strong feeling with the young team that he is assembling.
“Hockey is a serious business in Pakistan, and we also take the Olympics very seriously. I promise that we will not disappoint the Pakistani fans and will work hard to secure our slot for LA 2028,” said Asif when contacted.
Pakistan will be participating in this year’s Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, with the tournament scheduled to take place in Ipoh from May 4 to 11.
The tournament will see a total of six teams participating: Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Korea and defending champions Malaysia.
Under the tutelage of head coach Oltmans and with a team with an average age of 24, the PHF has set a target for the squad to become champions of the invitational men’s hockey tournament.
Pakistan have made 15 appearances in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and have won the tournament thrice (1999, 2000 and 2003) since its inception in 1983.
They currently rank 15th in the world with 1775.78 points. – April 17, 2024