For long, Pakistan sports have been in shambles, and the most evident example of it is, the state of affairs with hockey. Once a champion side, Pakistan Hockey Team has failed to make it to the Olympics once again, with their last participation coming way back in London 2012. Since then it has only been a downhill journey, with a lot of problems surfacing for the team and the management.
Pakistan Hockey & Coaching Woes
Ever since Pakistan’s hockey team’s foreign coach Siegfried Aikman resigned from his post in May last year, due to the non-payment of salary, the side has been struggling to get a permanent coach. Now, as it turns out, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has approached Roelant Oltmans once again.
All on Olympics
Roelants has already been part of the Pakisan Hockey team’s coaching setup twice, and if the deal goes through, he would be back for the Azlan Shah Cup and the Nations Cup, set to be held in Malaysia and Poland, respectively, in May-June.
Two Factions in PHF
While the secretary of one of the factions, Rana Mujahid, confirmed of the development, the other secretary, Haider Hussain, has warned the federation that it could face suspension from FIH. Meanwhile, the former Olympians Kaleemullah, Wasim Feroze, Nasir Ali and Hanif Khan, and Hussain went on to clarify in a conference, that only their federation was recognised by the FIH.
“The organisers of the two events have now apologised to us for mistakenly sending the invitations to Lahore stadium. But we are the only recognised body and only we can send teams to these tournaments,” he said.
Editors pick
