Daily Times

Pakistan Hockey Federation’s (PHF) newly-appointed secretary general and former Olympian Muhammad Asif Bajwa on Monday vowed to lift the national sport out of present gloom by taking all stake-holders on board to seek their opinion for improvement. “The situation is dismal as far as our hockey is concerned. We are struggling at international level and our kitty is empty. In the present scenario, we have to take a fresh start by taking all former Olympians and players into confidence and seeking their technical assistance to revive the game,” he told media at the National Hockey Stadium here. The former Olympian said that the task assigned to him was “challenging” and he had accepted the challenge to contribute to the national cause and play a role in revival of the national game. “I will take every possible measure, assembling all stalwarts of the game at one platform, requesting them to lend support for a mission, which is not impossible,” he added.

Asif, who last served as PHF secretary general in 2013-2015 was of the view that collective efforts were needed to revive the game. “My specific mandate is re-structuring of the PHF, formation of the national junior strings and setting up of hockey academies. And most importantly seeking sponsorship from government and private business houses in order to run the PHF on modern lines to bring it on a par with national hockey federations of those countries who have progressed a lot in the game in recent years,” he maintained.

The PHF official said it was a bitter reality that the PHF was cash-starved and adequate funds were needed to re-start hockey activities on solid lines. “I will be seeking financial support from all provincial governments and the Prime Minister besides establishing a professional marketing department of the PHF to gather ample funds to generate hockey activities round-the-year.” He said in a few days time he would be presenting his roadmap for revival of the game and would incorporate the input of the former masters of the game on allied issues. “If needed, we will also consider the option of hiring foreign coach to groom our team, but we have yet to set our priorities by collectively working on a one-point agenda, which is revival of the game”.

He expressed his gratitude to PHF president Brig (r) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar for giving him the responsibility to act as the secretary of the PHF.

Asif said it was a reality that Pakistan, who were a force to be reckoned with at the highest level of the game by possessing all major hockey titles, were now a pale shadow of their glittering past. “Regaining glory and winning medals at international level has now become an uphill task as it takes years to build a medal winning combination due to competitive international competition. I request all former Olympians to come forward and table their useful suggestions for revival and betterment of hockey, which is now a dying sport and it is our collective duty as former Olympians and international hockey players to restore the status, image and pride of our national side which is in wilderness,” he said. He said that one of the points on his agenda was resumption of international hockey in Pakistan, which was only possible by restoring the confidence of games ruling body, International Hockey Federation, in the PHF and to get sufficient funds to invite foreign teams and organise international events in a befitting manner.