LAHORE: How the mighty have fallen! For the first time since 1948, Pakistan has missed out on field hockey’s participation at the Olympics. A country with 3 gold medals, and a tally of 10 medals in total, will not be sending its hockey contingent to the Summer Olympics in Rio in August.
“It's not about lack of participation; it's about lack of government interest in other sports, lack of facilities and lack of dedication among the athletes. All of this comes down to the way they are treated in the unit. The world has gone too far and we cannot keep pace with it. We are fighting for seats, while others are preparing and fighting for medals. I’m not too sure as to what the criterion to select swimmers for the Olympics was. Anyhow, selection has been made and I’d like to wish the contingent all the best. It’s a matter of immense pride to represent your country at the Olympics, but unfortunately if someone raises voice, one has to wait until next time,” lamented Tamgha-e-Imtiaz holder Kiran Khan, who represented Pakistan at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
The elections in February 2012 saw Gen. Arif Hassan as victorious, but with government’s backing, Akram Sahi came up with a parallel Pakistan Olympics Association body. The reason of forming a parallel body was Pakistan Sports Board’s policy, according to which no member could be elected on the same seat for the third time and Gen. Arif Hassan had been elected president of POA for the third time. Matters were taken to court, which resulted in the players suffering from the consequences. Talking to The Nation, General Secretary POA Khalid Mehmood said, “We will have around seven athletes taking part in the Rio Olympics. Two shooters have qualified on the basis of universality; two swimmers have qualified as wildcard entries, we will have a continental qualification as well in Judo, and two unqualified athletes will be given wildcard entries in athletics. The Athletics Federation of Pakistan had sent us two names, which we got accredited, but now AFP needs changes in it. It is in process and talks are ongoing with IAAF. We’ll be confirming the names soon. ”
Khalid admitted it was disappointing not to have the hockey contingent at the Summer Olympics. “This is the first time since partition that we would not have our hockey team taking part in the Olympic Games. Hockey used to be our only medal hope, but unfortunately, that hope is now diminished. Participation in the Olympics is important; winning and losing is another thing. It will be heartening to see our contingent during the march past, raising our national flag. It was not possible for the Pakistan Hockey Federation, with the resources they had, to prepare for the Olympics. Whether I am to be blamed for it, the PHF is or the government, our national glory had to suffer with the result of it,” he said.
On the topic of POA’s parallel body, Mr. Khalid Mehmood said, “If I say our sports did not suffer due to the parallel body scenario, it would be so wrong. Parallel associations were formed at the provincial level, while parallel federations were formed at the national level. Players were divided and the government did not provide proper support. When the government backed the parallel party, matters got worse. Our participation in mega events was reduced. Our hockey team could not participate in the Commonwealth Games. About time the government realized Gen. Arif Hassan’s body as the lawful body, which also had the backing from the Supreme Court of Pakistan and from the IOC. The parallel body issue has now been settled. We have had elections, in which all member units took part.”
On the preparations for the next Summer Olympic Games, Mr. Khalid Mehmood expressed his satisfaction. “We had a meeting with the Olympians the other day on this issue. Gen. Arif Hassan visited the Pakistan Hockey Federation and we are very satisfied with the planning. Our hockey team will definitely be part of the 2020 Olympics. I’ll put it down to the lack of resources and infrastructure. Every nation participating at the Olympics starts preparing for the event at least 7-8 years before it has to take place. I’m sure the PHF has also realized this and our hockey team not being able to participate at the Olympics has had a lot of negative impacts. Government has assured of any technical assistance required, and I’m confident that we will take strides forward towards the right path.”
Pakistan has not managed to win a single medal since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and is the most populated country not to win a medal in the last five Olympic Games. The trend is set to continue, with our participation coming to a grinding halt. The Summer Olympics will be played from August 5 till August 21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.