First COAS National Inter-Club Hockey Championship in Pakistan!

    There was also a time when the players of the Pakistan hockey team used to enter the field to get the first position in world-level competitions. There are Olympic competitions. Be it World Cup, Asian Games, Asian, Commonwealth Games or Asian and national level Champions Trophy competitions. Whenever the Pakistan hockey team entered the field in hockey competitions, the commentators seemed to predict its victory. Pakistan players used to get on the nerves of the opposition players so much that their focus was not on winning the match but on preventing the Pakistan players from reaching their 'D' on the ground. Like the green flag of Pakistan, in the world of hockey, "green shirts" are considered to be the hallmark of Pakistan. In the World Cup, the hockey match in the Olympics, the foreign spectators sitting outside the field were proud to wear the "green shirt". At that time, the game of hockey was as popular as cricket among the people of Pakistan. Thanks to the victories at the global level, every Pakistani youth felt proud while playing hockey. From the school level to the universities, the presence of grounds was considered essential for playing hockey. Going further back, hockey was popular among the people of the subcontinent since the time of British India. After the partition of India, along with the creation of Pakistan, the hockey players in both countries were also divided and soon, wherever the teams of Pakistan and India faced each other in world hockey competitions, the hockey ground would become a battlefield. The enthusiasm found among the supporters of both teams also became the reason for the popularity of Pakistan players at the global level. However, it is also a fact that during this era, Pakistani players presented a new and unique style of play in every major international competition. This style became an academy for the players of the opposing teams.

    If we talk about the hockey competitions in the Olympics, then the Pakistan hockey team won the first gold medal by defeating India in the final match held in Rome, Italy. Pakistan defeated Australia in the 1968 Olympic Games held in Mexico defeated the team in the final and won the gold medal. After that, in 1984, Pakistan's hockey team won the gold medal in Los Angeles during the Olympic Games hosted by America. Thus, in other competitions of the Olympic Games, Pakistan's hockey team won three silver medals and two bronze medals. Talking about the Hockey World Cup, Pakistan won the first gold medal in 1971, second in 1978, third in 1982 and the fourth gold medal in 1994. While winning 2 silver medals in these competitions. Asian Games Hockey Competitions Pakistan hockey team won 8 gold medals for Pakistan in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1990 and 2010 while receiving three silver and three bronze medals in other hockey competitions of the Asian Games. In 1982, 1985 and 1989, the Pakistan hockey team won three gold medals in the Asia Cup of Hockey competitions. He won three silver and three bronze medals in the competitions while Pakistan won three gold and two silver medals in the Asian Champions Trophy. Pakistan won 24 gold, 21 silver and 15 bronze medals in hockey games at the world level.

    But unfortunately, with the passage of time, the government's interest in Pakistan's main national sport, hockey, has been waning. Like other fields, hockey also declined due to the non-availability of funds. The game of hockey became unpopular in educational institutions and government schools at the district and tehsil levels. Hockey clubs in the cities have become involved in politics. The playgrounds disappeared. When the "sponsorship" by the big business organizations was limited to cricket only, then the philanthropists also withdrew their hands from the patronage of this game. As a result, it has become a dream for the Pakistan hockey team to win a gold medal in competitions from the Olympics to the Asian Champions Trophy, and now the situation is that Pakistan's team is facing difficulties in "qualifying" for participating in international competitions. Only because our rulers in Pakistan had no time to think to save the national sport of Pakistan despite being the Ministry of Sports. For this, the ruler should have paid attention to ensuring the provision of funds to universities and other government educational institutions, as well as building new grounds for the promotion of hockey in the cities. In order to make the name of Pakistan shine again in the world hockey game, enthusiasm and excitement can be created among the youth of Pakistan. With this initiative of the government, new hockey players will emerge in the country and the young generation of Pakistan will be healthy. Men used to leave these activities and go to the playgrounds.

    It is possible that it will be a cause of pain for the sections in Pakistan who have hatred against the Pakistan Army that the responsibility of the restoration of Pakistan's national sport of hockey in Pakistan has also been taken by the Pakistan Army from the tehsil level to the national level. The first Chief of Army Staff National Inter-Club Hockey Championship has been organized in Pakistan on the basis of national competitions. The aim is to promote hockey as the national sport of Pakistan through clubs at the "gross root level" in the country. Championship with 718 hockey clubs of 72 districts at the district level in this regard throughout Pakistan. It started in the month of June. The winning hockey teams at the district level participated in the provincial level competitions in the next stage. This phase started from June 25 and ended on July 3 which 10 teams managed to reach the final round. Now the final round started from July 14 in Lahore and will reach the final match on July 23. After which, in a grand ceremony, the winning hockey team will be awarded a gold medal, the second place team will be awarded a silver medal and the third place team will be awarded a bronze medal. The gratifying thing is that the hockey players have shown enthusiasm in the competitions from the tehsil and district level to the provincial level. More than that, the interest of the spectators sitting outside the ground was noticeable. In every match, they used to shout slogans to encourage the two competing teams and expressed their happiness in applause. Seeing the enthusiasm of the players and the interest of the spectators in these competitions, it can be said with certainty that Pakistan's hockey team will soon be at the world level and will be able to regain its lost position. Chief of Army Staff, the National Inter-Club Hockey Championship organized by the Pakistan Army to revive hockey in the country is indeed commendable for which Pakistan Army and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa deserve congratulations.

Urdu Copy

Written by Khalid Baig,

Published in Daily Nawa-i-Waqt,

Date: 04 July 2022.