Pakistan's young hockey players hope to revive country's lost glory

Pakistan Hockey Federation has embarked on an ambitious journey to revive national team's glory with the Los Angeles Olympics 2028 as the ultimate goal.

The national team, once a powerhouse in international hockey with three Olympic and four World Cup titles, has faced a dismal decade, failing to qualify for the Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024 Olympics.

Determined to get the game back on track, the federation has announced the National Junior Team for the upcoming Asia Cup. The tournament will feature 10 teams, divided in two pools, with the top six teams earning a spot in the World Cup, scheduled to take place in India next year.

The Junior Asia Cup will start from November 26 in the city of Muscat, Oman, and the top six teams will qualify for the World Cup. In the event, Pakistan team will play its first match against China on November 27.

Pakistan players take part in trials at the Abdul Sattar Edhi Hockey Stadium in Karachi.Nukta

Speaking to Nukta at the Abdul Sattar Edhi Hockey Stadium in Karachi, selector and former Olympian Danish Kaleem said that the country has not run out of talent but young players need to be given opportunities to showcase their skills.

Big challenges

“Players and Pakistan Hockey Federation are facing many challenges. The younger generation has stopped playing hockey. There is no job in hockey due to the closure of the departmental teams and hundreds of hockey players have become unemployed,” Kaleem said.

“Hockey competitions are not being held at school, college and club level. In such a situation, it is very difficult to increase the pool of players,” he added.

Abdul Hannan Shahid, the captain of the national junior hockey team, said that the first goal is success in the Asia Cup but he is also keen on ensuring that Pakistan qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

“In the training camp, players have worked hard. We will try to play in the Asia Cup according to the game plan given by the coaches to get better results. We lost to India in the final last time but we are keen to avenge that loss this time around,” he said.

“We have done well as a team in 2024 and have gone deep in majority of the tournaments we have played. Our ranking has also improved which is a good sign,” Hannan added.

Meanwhile, FIH Rising Star Award recipient and drag-flicker Sufyan Khan said that he is happy to win the prestigious prize but he wants to reach the superstar level in hockey. His dream is to gain fame like penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas.

“We have to work hard to fulfill all these dreams. We want Pakistan to regain its lost position in hockey,” Sufyan said.