- Friday, April 26, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
THE resurgence of the Indian hockey team at the Olympics has given a boost to their neighbour Pakistan, also a traditional powerhouse in the game but have not shown enough skills to compete at the highest stage.
Hockey legends from Pakistan, who have won three golds at the Olympics besides three silvers and two bronzes but have not qualified since the 2012 edition in London, have expressed happiness over India’s success at the ongoing Games in Tokyo and believe the arch-rivals’ success would help arrest the sport’s decline in their own country.
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India have made to the semi-finals in both the men’s and women’s categories of hockey at Tokyo, creating history. The men’s team made the last four at the Olympics after a gap of 49 years while for the women’s team, it was the first-ever semi-final. The women’s team’s success especially sparked a celebration across India on Monday (2) as they defeated favourites Australia 1-0 after reaching almost the verge of elimination by losing their first three games in the tournament.
Pakistan, who beat India to win the gold in the 1960 Olympics, have failed to qualify for the Olympics for two times in a row now. Their celebrated centre-forward Hasan Sardar said he has been watching the Olympic hockey matches with interest after India started doing well.
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“It is a big success for the Indian hockey structure…It is all about money and unless we don’t invest in hockey and take care of players where will we get the talent from. In Pakistan youth goes towards cricket because they know they have a secure future in hockey that is missing,” he told PTI.
Hasan, who scored the winning gold in the semi-final of the 1984 Games against Australia (that was the last time Pakistan won a hockey gold), said it was good to see the Indian team blending modern-day tactics with the traditional Asian skills in its game.
“The key to hockey today is fitness and this Indian team looks to be very fit,” he said.
Asif Bajwa, the secretary-general of Pakistan Hockey Federation, also praised the Indian teams’ performance. Speaking to PTI, he said their success would help in reviving interest in hockey in the region. India and Pakistan have together won the gold in Olympic hockey 11 times, only one less than the combined number of Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina.
“It is not a small achievement that India has qualified for the Olympic semifinals…I say it will lead to a revival of the game in Pakistan because we have always been fierce rivals and people in Pakistan will now want our team to be back at the top as well,” Bajwa said.
Bajwa, also a former Olympian who was part of the Pakistan squad that won a bronze medal in the 1992 edition in Barcelona, Spain, and lifted the 1994 World Cup, said India were reaping the rewards for restructuring their hockey set-up.
“In India the Indian hockey federation has over Rs 1,000 crore in their account while their government also funds them…Today if you want to progress in hockey and remain at the top, a lot of money is required,” he added.
Speaking about Pakistan’s decline in hockey, Bajwa said, “…to be in the top five teams you have to play at least 25 to 30 international games a year. India is doing more than that and plus they have aligned their structure on modern lines.”
Samiullah Khan, who was nicknamed “flying horse” for his speed, said he is very happy to see Asian teams do well in the Olympics.
“Till 1984 Pakistan and India were fierce rivals in the Olympics and did well but after that the Europeans started dominating.
“But now it is good to see India qualify for the semifinals and I hope they can make the final and win a medal,” Samiullah, a former Pakistan captain and coach said. He said India’s performances would certainly revive interest in the game in Pakistan.
“In Pakistan, hockey has gone down badly because of poor management and because we didn’t pay attention to improving our structure over the years. But even now I believe that if steps are taken and money is invested in the sport we can make a strong comeback. Hockey is in our blood,” he said.
Samiullah, who has been a member of two World Cup-winning teams, said India’s success was due to their big pool of talent. “They are providing incentives to players, looking after them and their selection and management is very fair, which is what is needed in Pakistan,” he said.
On Sunday, Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan said he would be focusing on sports in his last two years before elections as there was a dire need to also revive hockey and other sports in the country. Pakistan hockey’s “Maradona” and captain of the team that won the 1994 World Cup, Shahbaz Ahmed said India’s impressive show in the Tokyo Olympics confirmed that Asian teams could still remain in the top four of the world.
“India have really done well even after their 7-1 defeat to Australia that is a remarkable comeback. Watching an Asian team do well in the Olympics I hope youngsters in Pakistan will also renew interest in this wonderful sport …there is no doubt that if hockey is to be revived in the country the government has to provide the funds,” he said. He advised the Indian team not to play an open game against Belgium in the semi-finals on Tuesday (3).
“Don’t give them space, that is the key to beating them Belgium are a very dangerous side,” he cautioned.
India lost their second match against Australia 1-7 but then came back strongly to win four games in a row (Spain, Argentina, Japan and Great Britain) to make the semi-finals.
Pakistan women’s team player Rushna Khan said it was a remarkable feat by the Indian women’s team to beat Australia and make the semifinals.
“It just shows the amount of interest in hockey in India. After this Olympics I am sure more young boys and girls will start playing hockey in India and it will only get better for them. It is just so good to see Indian women doing so well in the Olympics. It gives us women athletes in this region hope as well,” she said.
In women’s hockey at the Olympics, this is only the second time that India have reached the last four stage of the tournament, 1980.
