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All the news for Tuesday 28 July 2015

Canada takes home two field hockey medal at Pan Am Games

First time since 1999 in Winnipeg both men and women medal

Shaheed Devji


Photo: Yan Huckendubler

Toronto 2015 was a successful home games for Canada's field hockey teams. For the first time in sixteen years both the men's and women's teams medaled at the same Pan American Games.

The last time both the men's and women's National Teams medaled at the same games was the last time Canada hosted the Pan American Games in 1999 in Winnipeg.

In Toronto, the Canadian women were able to break the recent trend of falling short of the podium by winning a bronze medal with a 1-0 victory over Chile.

"We’ve had quite the journey so far," says Women's National Team captain Kate Gillis, who is part of a group of athletes who suffered a loss in the bronze medal match at the 2011 Pan Am Games in Mexico. "A little bit of disappointment, ups and downs, but we’re so thrilled to be able to validate that journey and really finish this year off on one of our high notes."

A young and improving team, the Women's National Team that competed at the 2015 Games has an average age of 23, which is significantly lower than the top teams in the world.

A medal at the Pan Am games, while historic, is also a sign that the women's program is on track in terms of progression towards Olympic qualification in 2020.

"We’re already three years into an 8 year plan," says Women's Natioal Team director and head coach Ian Rutledge. "We have a World Cup to prepare for in 2018 (pending qualification) and the girls effectively were talking about starting our Tokyo program (in the bronze medal match in Toronto)."

The Men's National Team took home silver at the Pan American Games for the seventh time in its history.

The Canadians came into the tournament with two goals in mind - winning a gold medal and qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. While a gold medal would have ensured qualification, based on recent results and world rankings the Canadians were able to qualify with a semifinal win over Brazil and did not need a gold medal to go through.

"We've proven we're an Olympic team and we're going to Rio and we're extremely proud of that and excited for that," says Men's National Team captain Scott Tupper, who is one of two current players who has competed in the Olympics before (in 2008). "Winning Pan Ams is something we wanted to do. We wanted to win a gold medal in front of our home fans. I'll be honest it stings alot."

Canada and Argentina met in the Pan Am Games gold medal match for the eleventh straight year. In 2011, the Argentines upended the Canadians 3-1 in the final match, so Canada was looking to bounce back on home soil.

In the end, Canada wasn't able to convert on its chances and Argentina was, leading to a 3-0 win and its second straight and ninth Pan Am Games gold medal total.

The silver medal added to a very successful medal haul for Team Canada at the Pan Am Games, and, while not the result the Canadian men were hoping for, caps off a very busy and successful spring and summer of competition.

"We've had a great year when we do look at the big picture. To move on from World League 2 was great for us and then to have a fantastic result at World League 3 which more or less secured the Olympic berth was tremendous for our group, our program as our whole."

Based on their result at the World League Semifinal, the men have qualified for the World League Final which will take place in India later this year and will mark the beginning of a busy year ahead preparing for the Olympic Games.

Field Hockey Canada media release

Vittese, U.S. field hockey program still growing

Dave Isaac


Michelle Vittese and her Team USA teammates qualified for the 2016 Olympics last week at the Pan Am Games. (Photo: Getty Images from Hockey World League Round 3)

PISCATAWAY – Two summers ago, Michelle Vittese and her U.S. field hockey teammates moved back East to Lancaster, Pa.

Before finishing 12th out of 12 teams in the 2012 London Olympics, the squad stayed at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., until their new home was ready.

It’s only a couple hours away from Cherry Hill, the former Camden Catholic standout’s hometown, still in range to keep tabs on the Philadelphia Eagles. Vittese has never been to a game, but she can’t help but be intrigued by head coach Chip Kelly and, more specifically, his “culture.”

Coming off a 2016 Olympic berth clinched last week at the Pan American Games in Toronto, and beating out Argentina for the gold medal, Vittese sees a payoff from the U.S. program trying to do exactly what Kelly is doing with his professional football team.

“It’s actually really interesting when I read what he talks about because it’s, no joke, to a T what we want to create,” said the 25-year-old Vittese, who was at Rutgers Monday with a couple teammates to help out with a clinic for middle school and high school players. “We want the players to have ownership and we hold each other accountable and the culture we’ve created has made us so successful. So full-time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, that’s why I think we’re so successful. That’s what we’ve created as a group.”

The U.S. team claimed the ninth of 12 spots in the 2016 Rio Games. The move to a centralized program in Lancaster came with a new regimen to rid the team of the sour taste London left.

“We train six out of seven days a week, but it’s a 24-hour workday for me,” said Vittese, who had three goals in six games at the Pan Am Games. “I’m very mindful of what I eat, what I’m doing, how much sleep I’m getting. It’s an all-encompassing idea.”

The team has a short break now before gearing up again in August. They’ve come a long way from the disappointment of the 2012 Olympics, including a fourth-place finish in the 2014 World Cup and finishing fifth in the Valencia World League semifinal last month.

For Vittese, whose two sisters also play field hockey and whose father coaches at Camden Catholic, it’s been a long road. In fact, playing hockey on grass wasn’t always her forte.

She actually grew up playing roller hockey at the age of seven on co-ed teams and stopped before she went to college.

“I played in a lot of AAU tournaments,” Vittese said. “We played for a club team out of Deptford that kind of started it for me.”

She began playing field hockey in the fifth grade, which wasn’t a huge adjustment. That came when she went back to roller hockey, where she could use both sides of the stick blade instead of just the forehand in field hockey.

“I remember thinking, ‘Oh, this is kind of weird,’” she recalled, “but then pretty quickly I was like, ‘Oh.’ Going back to hockey was pretty different. That would have been the harder transition…from this, having to turn the stick over, to not having to turn it over.”

The roller hockey stopped when Vittese went to University of Virginia, where she redshirted her senior season to prepare for and play in the London Games. She was on the team that won gold in the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, so finishing last in London was especially frustrating.

“Obviously finishing last place in the last Olympics is not what we wanted and it was a very trying time,” said Jackie Briggs, the team’s goalie who was an alternate in 2012. “It’s a huge learning curve for us. It was a great moment and we learned a lot from it. We re-defined everything that we were about and tried to create an environment where we were learning and growing and working as hard as we could. We all started training full-time as a full squad and I think the amount of work we put in and the learning that we did has helped us profoundly.”

Now Briggs, Vittese and the rest of the squad feel like they’re on track for a much better time in Rio.

Make no mistake though, getting the Olympic bid last week was no sigh of relief for the women’s national team.

“Never for one second did I not think that we were going to qualify one way or the other,” Vittese said. “I was very confident in our preparation and our staff to prepare us. I was very, very confident in our ability to do that. It’s not as much a sigh of relief as it’s just how I saw it playing out in my mind.

“The amount of work that we put into this, we were very well-deserving of what we were given.”

The Courier Post

Poland promoted to Euro top tier



Poland got back into the continental big-time with an impressive 3-1 final victory over Austria at the EuroHockey Championship II in Prague.

All the Polish goals came from WKS Grunwald Poznan players in the second half. Maciej Wejerowski broke the deadlock with fantastic shot before Karol Majchrzak netted two more for a 3-0 advantage, the latter from Pawel Bratkowski’s forceful pass.

Dominic Uher pulled one back with a drag-flick for the Austrians who featured 10 SV Arminen players but it was too late to affect the destination of the gold medal. Both Poland and Austria will move up to the top tier of the European championships in 2017.

Scotland finished third with an impressive 5-1 win over the Czech Republic. New Amsterdam recruit Kenny Bain netted three times in the game, bringing his tournament total to six from the tournament, one behind top scorers Alan Forsyth and Ukraine’s Viacheslav Paziuk.

Euro Hockey League media release

Stars return as young faces rested for Europe tour

s2h team

As many as seven old and trusted stars with a new face in Mohd. Imran will form the nucleus of Roelant Oltmans' first men's national team, which will embark on a 15-day tour of France and Spain starting July 31.

Even before the dust of Paul van Ass' removal settle down, Hockey India has announced the team for Europe tour under Roelant as chief coach, perhaps to show everything normal now.

Seven players including Yuvraj Walmiki, who struck goals in the early phase of the HWL SF have been rested paving way for most injured starts like SV Sunil, Danish Mujtaba and Gurjinder to return.

India will play five matches during the tour to France and Spain which will culminate on August 14.

During the tour, seen as preparations for the all-important FIH Hockey World League Final to be held in the country later this year, India will play twice against France and thrice versus Spain.

The squad was selected following a preparatory camp held in Shilaroo near Shimla from July 19.

Star midfielder Sardar Singh will continue to lead while goalkeeper PR Sreejesh will be his deputy.

The squad consists of two goalkeepers, six defenders, six midfielders and seven forwards.

Ace dragflicker VR Raghunath, defenders Kothajit Singh, and Gurjinder Singh, midfielders SK Uthappa and Danish Mujtaba, and strikers SV Sunil, Mandeep Singh, Talwinder Singh, who were not part of the 18-member squad that finished fourth in the World League Semifinals in Antwerp, have all made comebacks to the side.

Forward Mohd Amir Khan is the lone new face in the team.

Midfielder Manpreet Singh, Dharamvir Singh, Nikkin Thimmaiah, Satbir Singh, Gurmail Singh and Yuvraj Walmiki have been omitted from the Europe tour squad.

Also to miss out was senior midfielder Gurbaj Singh, against whom Hockey India's Special Committee has recommended disciplinary action for alleged misbehaviour with the coaching staff and creating disharmony in the side.

India will open their tour with a match against hosts France at Le Touquet.

High Performance Director and India's new chief coach Oltmans said: "It's a very important series for us as this will be a base for us to understand how do we perform and deliver as a unit and the grey areas to be improved upon before the FIH World League Finals".

"After World League Finals, our next step is Rio Olympics. Hence from here on, all tournaments are very important for us. We have to keep working and growing as a team. We are not taking the upcoming series lightly as both the teams (France and Spain) are very competitive and playing against them will help better our tackle against the European style of hockey."

The team:

Goalkeepers: PR Sreejesh, Harjot Singh

Defenders: Birendra Lakra, Kothajit Singh, VR Raghunath, Jasjit Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh, Gurjinder Singh

Midfielders: Sardar Singh, Chinglensana Singh, SK Uthappa, Satbir Singh, Danish Mujtaba, Devinder Walmiki

Forwards: S V Sunil, Ramandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Talwinder Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Mohd Amir Khan

Schedule:

#August 3: India vs France in Le Touquet
#August 5: India vs Franbce in Wattigies Sports Centre
#August 10: India vs Spain in Junior FC
#August 12: India vs Spain in Junior FC
#August 13: India vs Spain in RC Polo.

Stick2Hockey.com

Indian hockey team to tour France, Spain


A file photo of India's Captain Sardar Singh, second left, and teammates celebrate after a goal.

Following their fourth place finish at the Hockey World League (HWL) semi-finals in Antwerp, the Indian team, under new chief coach Roelant Oltmans, will tour France and Spain from July 31 to August 14 to play a total of five matches.

The team will play two matches against France on August 3 and 5. They will then travel to neighbouring Spain for matches on August 10, 12 and 13. This tour is in preparation for the HWL Final to be played in India in November-December.

Hockey India (HI) on Monday named an experimental 21-member squad for the trip. The team was selected post the preparatory camp held in Shilaroo, Himachal Pradesh, earlier this month.

“It’s a very important series for us as this will be a base to understand how do we perform and deliver as a unit and the grey areas to be improved before the HWL Final. Based on the performance in December, our next step is then the Rio Olympics 2016,” Mr. Oltmans, who is also HI director high performance, said.

“Hence, from here all tournaments are very important for us as we have to keep working and growing as a team. We are not taking the upcoming series lightly as both teams are very competitive and playing against them will help better our tackle against the European style of hockey.”

While France is ranked No.17 in the world, Spain are No.11. India, on the other hand, are ranked eighth.

The squad:

Goalkeepers: P.R. Sreejesh, Harjot Singh
Defenders: Birendra Lakra, Kothajit Singh, V.R. Raghunath, Jasjit Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh, Gurjinder Singh
Midfielders: Sardar Singh, Chinglensana Singh, S.K. Uthappa, Satbir Singh, Danish Mujtaba, Devinder Walmiki
Forwards: S.V. Sunil, Ramandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Talwinder Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Mohd. Amir Khan.

The Hindu

Indian hockey team to embark on Euro tour under Oltmans

NEW DELHI: A 21-member Indian men's hockey team will embark on a 15-day tour of Europe starting July 31 under the watchful guidance of High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans, who will also take over as the chief coach of the side after the unceremonious ouster of Paul van Ass.

India will play five matches during the tour to France and Spain which will culminate on August 14.

During the tour, seen as preparations for the all-important FIH Hockey World League Final to be held in the country later this year, India will play twice against France and thrice versus Spain.

The squad was selected following a preparatory camp held in Shilaroo near Shimla from July 19.

Star midfielder Sardar Singh will continue to lead while goalkeeper PR Sreejesh will be his deputy.

The squad consists of two goalkeepers, six defenders, six midfielders and seven forwards.

Ace dragflicker VR Raghunath, defenders Kothajit Singh, and Gurjinder Singh, midfielders SK Uthappa and Danish Mujtaba, and strikers SV Sunil, Mandeep Singh, Talwinder Singh, who were not part of the 18-member squad that finished fourth in the World League Semifinals in Antwerp, have all made comebacks to the side.

Forward Mohd Amir Khan is the lone new face in the team.

Midfielder Manpreet Singh, Dharamvir Singh, Nikkin Thimmaiah, Satbir Singh, Gurmail Singh and Yuvraj Walmiki have been omitted from the Europe tour squad.

Also to miss out was senior midfielder Gurbaj Singh, against whom Hockey India's Special Committee has recommended disciplinary action for alleged misbehaviour with the coaching staff and creating disharmony in the side.

India will open their tour with a match against hosts France at Le Touquet.

Speaking on the significance of the tour, High Performance Director and India's new chief coach Oltmans said: "It's a very important series for us as this will be a base for us to understand how do we perform and deliver as a unit and the grey areas to be improved upon before the FIH World League Finals.

"After World League Finals, our next step is Rio Olympics. Hence from here on, all tournaments are very important for us. We have to keep working and growing as a team. We are not taking the upcoming series lightly as both the teams (France and Spain) are very competitive and playing against them will help better our tackle against the European style of hockey."

List of players:

Goalkeepers: PR Sreejesh, Harjot Singh

Defenders: Birendra Lakra, Kothajit Singh, VR Raghunath, Jasjit Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh, Gurjinder Singh

Midfielders: Sardar Singh, Chinglensana Singh, SK Uthappa, Satbir Singh, Danish Mujtaba, Devinder Walmiki

Forwards: S V Sunil, Ramandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Talwinder Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Mohd Amir Khan

Schedule:

#August 3: India vs France in Le Touquet
#August 5: India vs Franbce in Wattigies Sports Centre
#August 10: India vs Spain in Junior FC
#August 12: India vs Spain in Junior FC
#August 13: India vs Spain in RC Polo.

The Times of India

European Tour: 'Indisciplined' midfielder Gurbaj gets rude message

Biswajyoti Brahma

NEW DELHI: Hockey India (HI) on Monday named a 21-member squad for a tour of Europe, dropping experienced midfielder Gurbaj Singh who was accused of indiscipline during the Hockey World League Semi-Final in Antwerp, Belgium where India finished fourth. The selectors insisted that the player was not dropped, but they admitted that the move was an attempt to "send a message to the player to mend his ways".

Gurbaj was accused of "indiscipline and showing disrespect" to the Indian coach by the special committee of Hockey India which had met in the Capital last week to discuss India's performance in the WHL Semi-Final as well as the performance of coach Paul van Ass.

"He has not been dropped but given a break. We wanted to send a message to him that such behaviour would not be tolerated. He's a fine player and a strong contender for a berth in the national squad for the Rio Olympics. The report we got from coaches about his behaviour in Belgium prompted us to take corrective measures," a selector told TOI. "We will meet him before the next event and also counsel him."

Gurbaj has played over 200 matches for India so far. "With the Olympics just one year to go, we don't want to spoil the team's spirit. Everyone knows how important the Games are. So we had to take some measures."

On the European tour, India will play five matches -two against France and three against Spain. They will play their first match on August 3 against France in Le Touquet. The team is currently undergoing training in Shilaroo, Himachal Pradesh.

Hockey India said in a statement the tour will help the team prepare for the FIH Hockey World League Final, which will be held in India later this year.

"It's a very important series for us as this will be a base for us to understand how we perform and deliver as a unit and the grey areas to be improved before the FIH World League Finals," chief coach Roelant Oltmans said.

"Our next step is the Rio Olympics 2016. Hence from here all tournaments are very important for us, as we have to keep working and growing as a team. We are not taking the upcoming series lightly as both teams are very competitive and playing against them will help us tackle the European style of hockey much better," Oltmans said in the statement released by HI.

The Times of India

No Gurbaj in squad for Europe tour

Experienced midfielder Gurbaj Singh, as expected, was missing from the 21-member Indian men’s hockey team announced on Monday for the upcoming preparatory tour of Europe.

The 15-day tour, from July 31 to August 14, would see India play two matches against France and three against Spain. The tour is part of the team’s preparations for the FIH Hockey World League Finals, to be held at Raipur, Chhattisgarh, later this year.

India was initially expected to play a couple of matches against the Netherlands as well but the plan was changed following the controversy and termination of coach Paul van Ass. It would be India’s first tour since Roelant Oltmans was named the chief coach.
Attitude problem

Though the selection trials were held during the ongoing rehabilitation camp in Shilaroo from July 22 to 23, the decision to drop Gurbaj had already been taken following adverse reports about his attitude during the recent HWL Semifinals in Antwerp.

Hockey India has decided to meet and counsel him before the team’s training resumes in September.

Senior defender V.R. Raghunath, midfielders Kothajit Singh and Danish Mujtaba and forward S.V. Sunil all come back for the tour after recovering from injuries.

Also making the cut was Gurjinder Singh and youngsters Mohd. Amir Khan and Mandeep Singh in the attack.

Manpreet Singh, Dharamvir Singh, Nikkin Thimmaiah, Satbir Singh, Gurmail Singh and Yuvraj Walmiki have been omitted.

“It’s a very important series for us as this will be a base to understand how we perform and deliver as a unit and the grey areas to be improved before the HWL Finals (in December). Based on that performance, our next step will then be the Rio Olympics,” Oltmans said.

The squad:

Goalkeepers: P.R. Sreejesh, Harjot Singh; Defenders: Birendra Lakra, Kothajit Singh, V.R. Raghunath, Jasjit Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh, Gurjinder Singh; Midfielders: Sardar Singh, Chinglensana Singh, S.K. Uthappa, Satbir Singh, Danish Mujtaba, Devinder Walmiki; Forwards: S.V. Sunil, Ramandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Talwinder Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Mohd. Amir Khan.

The Hindu

Scotland squad selected for European Championships


Defender Leigh Fawcett will captain Scotland in the European Championships

Scotland Senior Women’s Head Coach Gordon Shepherd has named his squad of players for the EuroHockey Nations Championship in London from 21-30 August.

Commenting on his squad selection, Scotland Senior Women Head Coach Gordon Shepherd said,

“Naming the squad for the European Championships now will allow the players to work together and really gel as a squad in the lead up to the competition over the next four weeks. As a group of coaches, we’ve been really happy with the players and how they have trained recently. It feels like the right time to select the squad.

“We have three players who will be playing their first international tournament but equally we have a number of players with a lot of experience at this level. I’m delighted for the players who have been selected.”


Scotland Head Coach Gordon Shepherd is now focussing his players on the European Championships

Scotland have been drawn against England, Germany and Italy in the continent’s top flight competition and the squad will be aiming to retain their place in the tournament by finishing in the top six places.

Continuing their preparations for facing Europe’s best hockey playing nations, the Scots will feature in a round-robin 3 Nations tournament including Germany and Spain in Hamburg on 30 & 31 July, before flying directly to Madrid for a warm-weather training camp and three further international matches against Spain on 4, 6 & 7 August.

“Both Germany and Spain recently competed in the World League semi-final so the games will be difficult”, added Shepherd.

However, they will be ideal preparation for the players to get right up to speed ahead of the Europeans and when we return from Madrid we expect to be competing and performing at the same level as these nations.”

Scotland Senior Women: Amy Brodie, Leigh Fawcett, captain (both Grove Menzieshill), Fiona Bruce, Ali Howie, Susan McGilveray, Nicki Skrastin (all Clydesdale Western), Louise Campbell, Nikki Cochrane, Becky Merchant (all Edinburgh University), Vikki Bunce, Becky Ward (both Dundee Wanderers), Aileen Davis (Clifton), Amy Gibson (Slough), Nikki Kidd (Mannheimer), Nikki Lloyd (Canterbury), Emily Maguire (Reading), Kareena Marshall (Western Wildcats), Sarah Robertson (Holcolme)

Scottish Hockey Union media release

Harbour top Ramesh Patel Shield standings


Photo: Planet Hockey

North Harbour have taken control of the Ramesh Patel Shield standings following the recent National Under 18 Tournament.

Harbour jumped to the top of the table on 68 points after the women won the tournament and the men took out the bronze medal.

The winner will be decided after the Ford National Hockey League, with Canterbury (62 points) and Central (59) hot on their heels.

CLICK HERE to see the full standings

The Ramesh Patel Shield was first introduced last year to recognise the best performing region over the three annual high performance tournaments – U21, U18 and the Ford National Hockey League.

Auckland took out the Ramesh Patel Shield In its inaugural year.

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Medicine’s loss is hockey’s gain

Hari Kishore M.


The irrepressible Deepak Thakur

Former India international Deepak Thakur has still got arrows in his hockey quiver, even though he is on the wrong side of 30. The dynamic forward was the mainstay of the Indian team for nearly a decade with two Olympic appearances in 2000 and 2004 to boot.

Thakur continues to be the lynchpin of his employers, Indian Oil Corporation. The 34-year-old was in sparkling form as he guided IOC to a 3-2 title win over Army XI in the MCC-Murugappa all-India tournament in Chennai on Sunday.

After the team’s semi-final win, Thakur was admitted to a hospital with fever and food poisoning, but ensured that he took the field in the final. That he walked away with the trophy, man of the match and the tournament’s best forward prize is only proof of his guts and insatiable hunger to win.

Nothing gives Thakur more joy than holding a hockey stick and scoring goals. The Chandigarh-based player answers a series of off-beat questions in a freewheeling chat with this newspaper.

Earliest memory of playing hockey: When my dad got me a hockey stick when I was 10-11 years old.
 
Other sport he plays: Badminton and golf.
 
What would you have done without hockey? I would have studied medicine.
 
Most memorable sporting moment: When we won the junior World Cup in 2001.
 
Worst sporting moment: When we lost to Pakistan in a playoff match in the 2003 Champions Trophy. We had beaten them 7-1 in the league stage.
 
Sporting heroes: There are many. Dhanraj Pillay, Lionel Messi and Roger Federer are some of the names that spring to my mind immediately. My favourite team is Chelsea.
 
Who would he like to invite for dinner and why? I would invite someone from the Indian Army as the institution employs true heroes who lay down their lives for the nation.
 
Favourite holiday spot: Mauritius is one place I would like to go any time.
 
Favourite movie and hero: Love starring Salman Khan and Revathi. It was released in 1991.
 
Pet name:  Happy.
 
The craziest thing he has done: When I tasted wine for the first time in Germany.
 
One habit he wants to get rid of: My short temper.
 
What was your worst nightmare? When I was dropped from the Indian team in 2010.
 
A piece of advice for youngsters:  Hard work never fails and never give up without achieving your goal.

The Asian Age

Akhtar Rasool urges unity to help Pakistan hockey regain glory



LAHORE: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) president Akhtar Rasool on Monday appealed to all former players to unify in order to resurrect the national game instead of criticising each other.

“Hockey cannot be put back on track singlehandedly and we should all gather at one platform to help Pakistan return to its glory days in the sport,” Akhtar told reporters here at the National Hockey Stadium.

“The failure to qualify for the Olympics [for the first time in Pakistan’s history], has saddened us all but we have to unite to achieve our targets,” added the PHF chief who was speaking to the media for the first time since Pakistan failed to reach next year’s Games in Rio de Janeiro following their eighth-place finish in the Hockey World League Semi-finals in June-July.

“It isn’t good that former players aren’t discussing team selection or individual performances but are instead critisising some officials. This isn’t the right way to occupy the PHF as only a constitutional change can do that.”

Akhtar added that the PHF was unable to complete its preparation plan for the HWL Semi-Finals due to paucity of funds.

“We didn’t play in the Azlan Shah Cup and failed in touring Spain whilst reaching Belgium [for the HWL Semi-Finals] just five days prior to the event and that too thanks to a helping hand lent by the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB),” he said.

He denied the impression that he had lost the confidence of the Prime Minister, who despite being PHF’s Patron-in-Chief, did not issue the annual grant to the federation.

“The Prime Minister is my political leader and if he wants me to resign, I’ll do that without any hesitation,” Akhtar said. “If anyone assures me that hockey can improve without me, I’m willing to leave.”

Despite their Olympic heartbreak Pakistan hockey team fared relatively well in recent past, playing three finals in a row last year at the Asian Games, Asian Champions Trophy and the FIH Champions Trophy.

Dawn

Hockey issues should be resolved under PHF constitution: POA secretary general Khalid

Government probe committee meeting now on 30th

LAHORE: Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) secretary general Khalid Mahmood has said that Pakistan hockey crisis will soon be over and all its issues will be resolved under the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) constitution.

“I hope all the issues facing Pakistan hockey will be resolved soon and in a constitutional manner,” he said on Monday. He said the Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) Ministry was doing a great job to solve all problems being faced by Pakistan sports. It is pertinent to mention that Khalid is also a member of the probe committee constituted by the Prime Minister to explore the reasons behind national hockey team’s pathetic show at the recently concluded Hockey World League (HWL) in Belgium. The second meeting of the probe committee, which was slated to be held on Tuesday (July 28), will now be held on July 30 (Thursday). The committee, on the request of Khalid who had prior commitments, postponed the meeting till July 30. The probe committee is headed by Inter Provincial Coordination secretary Ejaz Chaudhry and also comprises former PHF secretary general Col (r) Mudassar Asghar, former Olympian Shahbaz Senior, former Olympian Khawaja Junaid Ahmad and Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) director general (technical) Dr Akhtar Nawaz Ganjera.

Khalid said there were significant chances that the committee would complete its findings soon, which would be presented to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The probe committee on July 9 held its first meeting during which national team head coach Shahnaz Sheikh and captain Mohammad Imran, PHF secretary general Rana Mujahid Ali and PHF president Akhtar Rasool recorded their statements.

Children of Asia Games in Russia 2016: To a question, Khalid said Pakistan’s youth would get an opportunity to showcase their talent at international circuit in the beginning of their careers as the POA had decided that the country would make its maiden appearance in the 2016 Children of Asia 6th International Sports Games which would be held in Yakutsk, the capital of Sakha Republic in Russia. “The Games, whose first edition was held in 1996, will be held in July next year,” added Khalid. The Games are patronaged by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and President of Russia Vladimir Putin. The spectacle has been designed on the pattern of the Youth Olympics but on a smaller scale.

A meeting was held in Yakutia from July 20 to 23 and during the same time-frame the participants were given the opportunity to examine the facilities for the Games. “The facilities were excellent. The infrastructure was fine and the university hostels were upgraded and it was a nice to see,” said Khalid, who returned from Yakutia after witnessing the facilities. “We got the invitation around 20 days ago. We have written to the federations to intimate the POA till July 31 about the intention to field their athletes in these Games,” Khalid said. “Definitely, it would be an additional event and participating at a bigger stage would definitely help the kids in future,” he added. “There is a different age restriction for every discipline,” Khalid informed. He said it would be a fine experience for the Pakistan players as some countries of Europe would also participate in the event besides the neighbouring Russia.

South Asian Games 2016: About the South Asian Games, Khalid said soon after returning from attending a meeting in New Delhi early this month, the POA had informed the national sports federations and Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) in writing about the decisions which had been made in the meeting. Khalid was hopeful that cricket would be part of the SAG. “Although India are reluctant to induct cricket but other countries want to have this sport in the spectacle. I hope cricket would be part of the competitions,” he said. Khalid made it clear that only those federations would be able to field the athletes in SAG which are recognised by the POA.

“Sahi-led Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) and Munawar Baseer-led Pakistan Cycling Federation (PCF) had dissociated themselves from the POA. And so the POA general council had approved other federations in their place and we have written to those bodies for the SAG,” Khalid clarified. “Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) is a defunct body as we have not endorsed its elections and there is no substitute body for it,” Khalid said. Khalid was confident that Pakistan would deliver in the SAG to be hosted by Guwahati and Shillong, most probably from January 10-20. “I think five months preparation is enough for our athletes. I hope Pakistan will extend good performance,” he said. In the 2010 Dhaka SAG, Pakistan had finished second behind India

The Daily Times

Hockey probe lingers on

ISLAMABAD - The Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC)-appointed hockey debacle fact-finding probe committee meeting was postponed for the second time in running.

The meeting was scheduled to be held on July 23 but was called off as Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) appointed probe committee also set same date for their meeting.

The fact finding committee led by IPC secretary Ejaz Chaudhry had already exceeded the allotted time as they were supposed to submit their report within one week, but now after lapse of more than a month, they are still nowhere near to completion of probe, submitting their report is a far cry.

The inside sources in Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) have confirmed to this scribe that meeting was set for July 28, but was called off as a few members were not available.

Now the proposed meeting would likely be held on July 30 at 11am at PSB committee room.

The meeting would be presided over by IPC secretary Ejaz Ch with members Khawaja Junaid, Shahbaz Senior, Col Mudassar and Dr Akhtar Nawaz Ganjera would also be present on the occasion.

It is quite surprising that instead of completing report and held the federation responsible for the debacle, the probe committee is prolonging the entire process and providing enough time to the culprits.

Long delays in submitting report had already drew huge criticism from not only Olympians but also from the masses and they termed the entire exercise as wastage of time and providing shelter to the actual culprits.

The federation is using all the tricks in their pocket to pass on the burden to the players rather than accepting their responsibility and tendering their resignations, the sources added.

First the masses had to go through pain and agony of missing the world cup for the very first time in their history and now adding further insult to injuries, same people deprived the national team of featuring in 2016 Rio Olympics as national team failed to book their tickets after failing in the qualifying round played in Belgium in June.

The former Olympians and masses have been demanding stern and exemplary action again the PHF officials and urging the PM that the culprits must be taken to the task, the sources concluded.

The Nation