Pakistan to host three-nation field hockey tournament in Oman

By APD writer Muhammad Sohail

ISLAMABAD, Jan. 15 (APD) -- The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has planned to kick-off 2018 with hosting a three-nation tournament in Oman next month to prepare the national side for this year’s international competitions, an official said.

Secretary of the PHF Shahbaz Ahmed said that they would host a field hockey tournament on Oman in February to start the national team’s preparations for the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Champions Trophy and the World Cup.

The tournament, Shahbaz said, will be a part of the efforts which are being made to revive the ailing condition of the national sport.

“I do agree, the performances of the team have remained poor in the last few years, as decades-old ills cannot be cured in one or two years, but our efforts are underway and now we are expecting good results in the upcoming Asian Games,” he said.

The Asian Games are set to be held in August in Indonesia following the Commonwealth Games in April.

Shahbaz said Pakistan will target gold in the Asian Games, which is also a qualification round for the 2020 Olympics,

To make the most of the opportunities set to come this year, PHF, as it claims, has made consistent big changes to the team management and the selection committee, especially after the national team, continuously failed at the international events.

“The federation is also in the process of finding a foreign coach for the assistant coach position,” he added.

The World XI, a team comprises international players from different countries, will visit Pakistan later this month to play against the hosts. The sports analysts believe that the visit will give a revitalizing boost to the hockey atmosphere in the country.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)