Introduction:
Hockey is a sport that can be played at any time of the year. There are several types of hockey including ice hockey, roller hockey, field hockey, rink hockey, floor hockey, etc. They all differ on the surface of the ground, several team members, and rules. However, this blog is specific to field hockey, Pakistan's national game.
Field hockey:
Field hockey is governed by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). Both men and women play this game. men's field hockey dates back to 1908 whereas, women started playing this sport in 1980. The first ever hockey club was established at Blackheath in south-east London in 1849. The current form of hockey probably evolved from schools in the mid-18th century. It was the national sport of India, but later it was declared by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in 2012 that India has no national sport. It is now the national game of Pakistan.
How it is played:
Field hockey can be played on gravel, sand, or natural grass. It is a game between two teams consisting of 11 players each among which are 10 outfield players and 1 goalkeeper. The coach decides the number of forwards, midfielders, and defenders on the pitch. The uniqueness of this sport lies in the tools used to play it. It comprises the following equipment.
Hard plastic balls of approximately 73mm (2.9in) diameter
Curved Sticks (these can be of wood, glass fiber, or carbon fiber)
Nets
Other equipment for protection
Hockey World Cup:
The editor of World Hockey Magazine, Patrick Rowley had an idea that " There should be a world champion of Hockey like other sports". This idea was turned into reality by Noor Khan, Air Martial (retired), who was also the president of the Pakistan Hockey Federation in the 1960s. The appeal for World Cup was made in in1969 which got accepted formally in 1970 and Pakistan was declared as the host of FIRST EVER HOCKEY WORLDCUP. Unfortunately, we weren't able to avail this prestigious opportunity due to the careworn condition of our state in 1971 because of the separation of Bangladesh.
This historical World Cup was held in Barcelona and Pakistan made its mark as the first hockey World Cup champion under the captaincy of Khalid Mehmood. Since then, Pakistan has won 4 hockey World Cups. We won the 4th hockey world cup held in 1978. We defeated India in 1982 and overthrew Holland on penalty strokes in 1994. Pakistan hosted the World Cup for the first time in 1990.
A hockey world cup is held after 4 years at different places around the globe.
Golden Age of Hockey Team in Olympics:
Our national team has stayed a champion from the 1950s to the 1990s. We won three gold, three silver and two bronze.
Golds:
1960: Under the captaincy of Abdul Hameed Hameedi we defeated India and won our first Olympic hockey game.
1968: Pakistan won against Australia
1984: We won again for the 3rd time in Los Angles (America)
silvers:
1956: In Melbourne (Australia) Pakistan secured 2nd position
1964: We were defeated by India in the finals in Tokyo (Japan)
1972: This was held in Munich (Germany)
Bronze:
1976: The importance of this year is that for the first time, AstroTurf (artificial grass) was used in the fields in Montreal (Canada)
1992: Stood third under the captaincy of Shahbaz Ahmad Senior
Current situation of Hockey in Pakistan:
It is heart-rending to say that this is the dark era of hockey in Pakistan. Despite being our national game, hockey is in decline and the performance of our national team is not worth watching. This is merely due to the lack of interest of our government and very less resources. We must find a way to bring it back to life. This will also prove to be beneficial economically in the future.
Conclusion:
We Pakistanis have great potential for literally everything. We are a talent in ourselves. Our history is full of surprising victories, but unluckily we have set our skills to sleep. We must wake up so that this ship of ours sails smoothly. We must ensure a strong and independent country, and this can be done only if we hold onto our history and become united.
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