Former Olympian Shahnaz Sheikh wants dire changes in Pakistan Hockey - Part One
Hockey – the national sport of Pakistan – is going through worst time of history and is striving to make a comeback towards the glorious past of the sport. The Greenshirts though initiated the process by lifting the Asian Games title after two decades. However,
the real worth of the Pakistan’s hockey team will evaluated in the upcoming mega events including Champions Trophy and Four-Nation tournament.
Everyone associated with the sport is giving solutions to put hockey in right direction for getting the past glory. Shahnaz Sheikh – the former Olympian – also proposed changes to upgrade the status of the national side. He was a best player of his era and
once again wanted to see the Greenshirts at the top the world raking.
The situation was quite difficult in the past when nation had not accepted the defeats in the finals and medal rounds. However, the scenario is changed and people do not show reactions even the national side finish the tournament at the bottom line. The
Greenshirts is currently holding 8th position in the world rankings which reined the sport for decades.
The Pakistan’s hockey squad lifted 42 medals in major tournaments from 1948 to 2000. Out of 42, 20 were gold medals while 14 silver and 8 bronze medals. On the other side, the line-up only earned 6 medals in the last ten years from 2000 to 2010. Some of
the critics declared it darkest period of the history of sports in the country. Out of total six, one was gold, one silvers and four were bronze medals.
Shahnaz Sheikh – who was one of the best forward players of his era – underlined the reasons of the downfall of hockey in the country. It is worth mentioning here that Shahnaz Sheikh has 68 international caps had extensive experience in the field hockey.
He was part of the Greenshirts’ team that lifted two gold medals in the World Cup and three in the Asian Games.
In his views the main reason behind the awful performance is that nontechnical and incompetent persons are running the sport’s affairs in the country. He was of the opinion that they would have to recognise the fundamental reasons behind the decline of hockey.
One of three key points in this regard is that the national sport is being eliminated from at the grass roots stage. As per his assessment, the second reason in this regard is invention of artificial turf. The Astroturf is quite expensive and worth of Rs.
50 to 60 million with small arenas. He pointed out another aspect that sport had been separated from studies, which was considered integral section in the previous eras.
The sports have used to special periods during the study schedules which not only promote the games and prepare national level players but also increase the studious stamina of the players.
He was of the opinion that the academic institutions like school and colleges were the main source of games grounds. He stated, “During our playing days schools and colleges were the main source of providing pool of players with exceptional raw talent.”
However, the perception has been changed and sport in the recent times is considered a time-wasting activity. It is the key reason that the minds of youngsters divert towards negative things.
Continued in Part 2
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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