KARACHI, 1 March 2005 — Pakistan yesterday unveiled a blueprint to revive its field hockey fortunes, having not won a major tournament since the 1994 World Cup, a top official said.
“With this plan we aim to energize the spirit of the team to achieve greater goals in hockey,” Pakistan Hockey Federation President Tariq Kirmani told a launch ceremony. He also revealed a new federation logo.
Pakistan, three-time Olympic and four-time world champions, have remained empty handed for 11 years since winning the World Cup and the Champions Trophy in the same year.
They fell to an abysmal fourth in the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, but Kirmani said his team had high ambitions.
“Pakistan’s next target is to do well at the World Cup in Germany and regain the Asian title in Doha, Qatar — both next year,” he said. Kirmani said the new plan, which spans the next five years, was aimed at improving playing standards and contained long- and short-term measures.
“Once things fall in the right place gold medals will also come,” he added.
The new plan also involves 5,000-rupee ($90) winning bonuses for national team players and increasing daily allowances from a meager 150 rupees to 500 rupees.
Kirmani said he was consulting former and current players on how to improve Pakistan’s performance in field hockey — formerly regarded as the country’s national sport before its popularity was overshadowed by cricket.
Pakistan’s experiment of hiring Dutch coach Roelant Oltmans failed as they finished fifth at the Athens Olympics last year and third in the Champions Trophy two months ago.
Oltmans coached the team for one year from December 2003 and was replaced by former national player Asif Bajwa.
“We also hope to reach a consensus on whether to stick with an Asian style of play and to hire a foreign coach soon,” Kirmani said.
