Sports Bulletin

SA Choudary May God save the national game of hockey from the running management of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), which is ruining the game in the country owing to its adverse policies. At present, Khalid Sajjad Khokhar is the president of PHF while Syed Haider Hussain is performing the duties of secretary of PHF.All decisions are made by only two persons Khalid Sajjad Khokhar and Syed Haider Hussain, as both have occupied the seats in the federation illegally. When Haider took charge of secretary PHF as a caretaker, the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) declared this act unlawful, which was not according to the constitution of the PHF.The election process was highlighted on social media in the form of videos and pictures all over Pakistan to show the credibility of the so-called election. It is pertinent to mention here that PSB not only stopped the Pakistan Hockey Federation from this unconstitutional step, but PSB also de-notified it. Later, PSB refused to issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the Pakistan Hockey Federation for touring abroad for international competitions.Later, to probe the facts, the Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan formed a committee under the supervision of the Standing Committee on Sports of the National Assembly to resolve the issues of national game hockey, which has also sent its recommendations to the Prime Minister, which has become inevitable.The current top officials of PHF are crying about the non-availability of funds to run the affairs of the federation smoothly. But on the other hand, he is also giving joyride trips to his favorite people along with the Pakistan hockey team that is Salala, Oman for the Junior Asia Cup 2023, as the training camp took place at Manzoor-ul-Hasan Hockey Stadium Defense Housing Authority (DHA) Lahore.DHA Lahore fulfilled its all commitments and not only provided its stadium for training camp (day & night) but also incurred boarding & lodging expenses along with traveling and daily allowances including players/officials of the camp and air tickets of team squad and team officials as well as sponsored their complete uniform.Pakistan Hockey Federation used the funds mercilessly and sent their favorite people on a joyride trip with the team.Col (R) Asif Naz Khokhar, Honorary Secretary of Punjab Hockey Association and brother of Khalid Sajjad Khokhar (President PHF), Abdul Azlan Khan, son of Abdul Hanif Khan (Manager), and Zia-ud-Din Burki are accompanied by the team for just a joyride trip. It is important to mention here that in 2016, when Hanif Khan was manager of the Pakistan squad for Azlan Shah, which was held in IPOH, Malaysia, his son also accompanied him. On the other hand, the coaches who trained the players in the camp for more than a month, including Adnan Zakir, Mazhar Abbas, and Rana Zubair were ignored.Adnan Zakir, who lives abroad, came specially to coach the Pakistan hockey team and on the occasion of the team’s selection, he showed his dissatisfaction over the decisions of the national selection committee and the Pakistan Hockey Federation. Later, he left for abroad. The current selection committee and the federation also made serious allegations regarding the team selection.The hockey lovers request Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif, who is also the Chief Patron of the Pakistan Hockey Federation, to take action against the federation for its wrongdoing. The Pakistan Hockey Federation should be banned as soon as possible and replaced with new faces so that they can conduct free and fair elections of the Pakistan Hockey Federation, which must be monitored by the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA).Editor Note: (The writer is a hockey lover here are his personal views and if any other person or any official of the federation wants to respond to this article we will appreciate and welcome it). 

All semifinalists to secure their berths in Men’s Junior World CupSports Bulletin ReportSalalah (Oman):-The Men's Junior Asia Cup 2023 will roll into action from May 23, as the best young Asian men’s hockey teams will compete in Salalah, Oman. The top three will qualify for the forthcoming FIH Junior Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023, to be played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.As many as, the participating nations have been divided into two pools, as Pool A will be comprising Chinese Taipei, India, Japan, Pakistan, and Thailand. Pool B includes hosts Oman, who will be joined by Bangladesh, Korea, Malaysia, and Uzbekistan.The top two teams in both pools will qualify for the semi-finals, while the teams in third and fourth positions will compete for the 5-8 place classification. The teams finishing in fifth place in both pools will go head-to-head to avoid finishing in tenth place.The losing semi-finalists will play in the bronze medal match, with the two finalists and the bronze medalists qualifying for the FIH Junior Hockey World Cup 2023. Malaysia, as hosts, have already qualified for the World Cup, so if Malaysia enter the semifinals of the Junior Asia Cup, all the other three teams making it to the semi-finals will gain entry into the World Cup as well. The FIH Junior Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 will be played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 5-16 December 2023. Malaysia have qualified as the hosts of the competition. Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands and Spain have qualified from Europe as the teams that were classified in the top-5 at the Euro-Hockey Junior Championship 2022. Australia and New Zealand have also qualified through the Oceania Junior World Cup Qualifiers 2022. South Africa and Egypt are the qualifiers from Africa finishing as the top two teams at the Junior Africa Cup 2023. Argentina, Canada and Chile are the three qualifiers from Pan America. The three top teams from Asia will complete the full set of sixteen teams that will compete for the title at the FIH Junior Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023. 

Sports Bulletin ReportLausanne (Switzerland):-A new Test series between the Australian and Indian women's teams will get underway on 18 May in Adelaide, Australia.The series will see the current FIH Hockey Pro League leaders Australia, take on the winners of the inaugural FIH Hockey Nations Cup India, in a three-match series. The two teams have developed a rivalry over the recent years, with their most recent match-up coming in the semi-finals of the Commonwealth Games 2022, which required a shoot-out to separate the two sides.With both young teams stringing together an impressive run of form over the past year, the series promises to be a tightly contested affair, with each side providing a litmus test for the progress made by the other. 

 Selection Committee names 18-man squad, Mohammad Abdullah to lead Green ShirtsAbdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: Pakistan Under-18 hockey team will take on archrival India on May 27 in the Junior Asia Hockey Cup 2023, which will be played from May 23 to June 1 in Salalah, Oman, as the Selection Committee named the Pakistan squad led by Mohammad Abdullah.Besides Pakistan, India, Japan, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Korea, Malaysia, Oman, Bangladesh, and Uzbekistan will participate in the regional hockey fixture, as Pakistan will meet traditional opponents India on May 27, 2023.The training camp of 28 players was going on at DHA Hockey Arena under the control of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), after the two-day trials, which were monitored by Chairman Selection Committee Olympian Kaleemullah Khan, Members Olympian Nasir Ali, Olympian Shakeel Abbasi, Laeeq Lashari. Also, International Adnan Zakar, Olympian Zeeshan Ashraf, Assistant Coach Asif Ahmed Khan, Team Video Analyst Syed Ali Abbas and Physiotherapist Waqas Mahmood were present in the coaching panel, Junior Team Manager and Chief Coach Olympian Hanif Khan were present on this occasion.Names of selected players:Mohammad Abdullah (captain), Abdul Hanan Shahid (vice-captain), Ali Raza, Mohammad Faizan Janjua, Aqeel Ahmed, Arbaaz Ahmed, Ehtsham Aslam, Mohammad Sufyan Khan, Arbaz Ayaz, Mohammad Murtaza Yaqub, Arshad Liaquat, Ali Murtaza, Zakaria Hayat, Abdul Rehman, Abdul Qayyum. Dogar, Abdul Wahab, Basharat Ali, Bilal AkramReserves:Bilal Khan (goalkeeper), Mohammad Bilal Aslam, Mohammad Baqir, Mohammad Nadeem Khan, Mohammad Adnan, Waqar AliPool A:Pakistan, India, Japan, Chinese Taipei, ThailandPool B:Korea, Malaysia, Oman, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan. Schedule of Pakistan Fixtures:May 23, 2023: Pakistan vs Chinese TaipeiMay 24, 2023: Pakistan vs ThailandMay 27, 2023: Pakistan vs IndiaMay 29, 2023: Pakistan vs Japan

Sports Bulletin ReportLausanne (Switzerland): The penultimate day of FIH Hockey Pro League action from Christchurch saw Great Britain women and men face off against New Zealand and Australia respectively. It was the women’s teams going head-to-head first with Great Britain dominating the hosts, winning 6-1. The men’s match was an end-to-end affair, with the teams tied at 3-3 at full time. Australia won the ensuing shoot-out and took the bonus point from the encounter. (Women’s) Great Britain beat New Zealand 6-1 Great Britain scored 63 seconds into the game with Petter getting on the end of a cross from Crackles from the left. 3 minutes later it was 2-0, as this time it was a powerful shot from the right by Tessa Howard that was smartly deflected in by Darcy Bourne on the far post. The second quarter was much of the same with New Zealand struggling to get out of their own defence against the high press by Great Britain. GB added a third with Grace Balsdon sending her drag flick from a penalty corner perfectly into the top right corner. The home team pulled one goal back from their first penalty corner of the game as Cotter found the bottom right corner of the goal with a low driven shot. Second half produced a more even battle as New Zealand gained confidence from their late first half goal and started to string passes together, playing out of the back against the high press by GB. Great Britain however survived the phase of play and regained control of the game in the final quarter. Tessa Howard scored early in the final quarter, getting on the end of a cross by Owsley, restoring the visitors’ 3-goal lead. Hannah Martin added a fifth goal, deflecting a flick by Balsdon from Great Britain’s sixth penalty corner of the game. The visitors hit a sixth goal in the final minute with Giselle Ansley scoring her second of the mini-tournament from a penalty corner. (Men’s) Great Britain vs Australia 3-3 (SO: 2-4) Australia were all over Great Britain in the first quarter, employing a high and intense press inside their 25. They turned the ball over multiple times and dominated possession. They made all their pressure count, opening the scoring through a Joel Rintala drag flick off the first penalty corner of the game. Great Britain managed to get on level terms in the second quarter as Sam Ward was left completely open in the circle on a free hit and his deflection lifted the ball over Charter and into the goal. Midway through the third quarter James Mazarelo made one of the saves of the season, lunging to his right to stop a shot by Sharp that looked destined to ruffle the net. Great Britain went into attack on the other end and won a penalty corner that Zach Wallace converted to complete a remarkable turnaround. Australia were back on level terms early in the final quarter with Rintala’s cross from the left deflected into the goal inadvertently by David Ames. Australia won a penalty stroke midway through the fourth but Payne went the right way to stop Ephraums shot and keep the scores level. Once again a great save brought a goal for Great Britain, as Rupert Shipperly scored from a penalty corner. Australia turned on pressure in the final minutes and found a goal as Zalewski was allowed to run into the circle and his shot towards the goal was deflected in by Joel Rintala for a second consecutive hat-trick. 

Sports Bulletin ReportLausanne (Switzerland): FIH Hockey Pro League rolled into action in Christchurch, New Zealand with Great Britain women taking on Australia, followed by men’s action between hosts New Zealand and Great Britain. It was two wins in two for the European team with the women earning their first points of the season with a narrow, but comfortable one-goal win over Hockeyroos, while the men’s team fired on all cylinders in attack to register an impressive 5-2 win over hosts New Zealand.(Women’s) Great Britain beat Australia (1-0):Great Britain were dominant in the first quarter, pressing Australia high up the field. They made the pressure count in the 13th minute with Giselle Ansley opening the scoring through her team’s third penalty corner, shooting low to the left of the keeper, piercing the gap between Aleisha Power and the post defender. Australia were dominant in the second quarter as Great Britain retreated in defence. However, the Hockeyroos couldn’t capitalise on all their possession, failing to properly test Miriam Pritchard in the goal as Great Britain held on to their slender lead going into the break. The third quarter was better balanced as Great Britain course corrected and started playing higher up the field. They created the better chances in the quarter but Bartram, in the goal for the second half, made a couple of routine saves. Australia won possession well in the midfield, but failed to create clear scoring opportunities from them. The final quarter followed a similar pattern as Great Britain dictated the pace of the game and created the better chances, but were denied by Bartram on a couple of occasions. Australia continued to struggle stringing passes together in the attacking half and failed to pose a real threat on the Great Britain goal and as the time ran out, Great Britain secured their first win of the season by the narrowest of margins. (Men’s) Great Britain beat New Zealand (5-2):Zach Wallace opened the scoring in the game with a phenomenal first time reverse volley on a high ball that had looped off a New Zealand stick in the 13th minute. The lead was well deserved for the visitors as they had dominated the proceedings in the opening quarter, but were denied on multiple occasions by George Enersen in the New Zealand goal. New Zealand looked for a quick comeback in the second quarter, but were denied by an incredible save by Mazarelo from a point blank range. James Oates and Will Calnan scored within seconds of each other, midway through the second quarter, to give the visitors a big 3-goal lead. New Zealand pulled one back in the 28th minute through a Dane Lett penalty corner goal, but Great Britain regained their 3-goal cushion through a Nick Bandurak volley goal from a quick counter attack that started with another terrific Mazarelo save. Great Britain increased their lead early in the third quarter with Jack Waller finding Shipperley unmarked at the right post and the Welsh forward made the easiest deflection to put the ball into the goal. New Zealand pressed for a route back into the game and with 10 minutes left in the game they scored their second through George Baker, whose shot from the top of the circle went through the legs of a couple of players and settled into the bottom left corner of the goal. The visitors managed the rest of the quarter, bossing possession and limiting counter-attacking opportunities for New Zealand to come away with all 3 points.

Sports Bulletin ReportLausanne (Switzerland): The best young Pan American hockey teams, in both men’s and women’s category, competed in the Junior Pan American Championships at Bridgetown, Barbados with three spots, in each gender, up for grabs in the upcoming FIH Junior World Cups 2023. In the women’s competition, USA were crowned champions winning the finals against Argentina, with Chile winning bronze. In the men’s competition reigning junior World Champions Argentina were dominant throughout, scoring 31 goals in 4 games and winning the finals 6-1 against Canada, with Chile finishing in third.In the group stage of the women’s tournament Argentina and Chile were table toppers in Pool A and B respectively. Chile made the biggest splash winning their three games by a cumulative margin of 31 goals. USA finished second in Pool A with their only loss coming in a closely contested game against Argentina, while Canada finished second in Pool B with 2 wins and a solitary loss to Chile. Argentina edged past Canada through a 1-0 win in the semi-finals, while USA needed shoot-outs to stop the Chilean juggernaut and proceed to the finals. The finals were once again a close affair but USA showed their supremacy in the shoot-outs, getting the better of Argentina by a 4-1 margin, after the teams had ended the regulation period tied at 1-1. USA, Argentina and Canada have joined hosts Chile in qualifying for the FIH Junior Women’s World Cup 2023, which is to be held in Santiago, Chile later this year.Tracy Paul, head coach of the victorious USA team, speaking on her team’s success said: "We are really happy to qualified to the Junior World Cup 2023, this is another opportunity for our team to perform at a major tournament, international tournament as they work themselves through the high performance pathway."In the group stage of the men’s tournament Argentina topped Pool A while Canada topped Pool B with both teams winning all their matches with ease. Chile in Pool A and USA in Pool B finished in second place with their sole losses coming to Argentina and Canada respectively. Argentina dispatched USA in the semi-finals with a 7-0 win, while the second semi-final between Canada and Chile was a tense affair requiring shoot-outs where Canada prevailed. Argentina showed their dominance in the tournament once again by registering a massive 6-1 win in the finals to win gold. Chile defeated USA in the bronze medal match to book their spot in the FIH Junior Hockey Men’s World Cup, which is to be played later this year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Juan Gilardi, coach of the Argentina team, speaking after his team’s title victory, said: "We came here with 2 objectives, and we got them. We are really proud of the team. We are exited to be part of the World Cup, we have a long way to go, we are really looking forward to it."

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: Adviser to Chief Minister Punjab on Sports and Youth Affairs and international cricketer Wahab Riaz inaugurated the laying of modern FIH-approved synthetic turf at the National Hockey Stadium on Sunday. Secretary Sports and Youth Affairs Punjab Shahid Zaman, Director General Sports Punjab Dr Asif Tufail, Director Youth Affairs Syed Umair Hassan, Director Sports Nadeem Qaiser, Project Director PMU Qaiser Raza, International Synthetic Turf expert Usman Afridi, Deputy Director Planning Rauf Bajwa and District Sports Officer Tanveer Shah were also present on this occasion. Project Director PMU Qaiser Raza and Deputy Director Planning Rauf Bajwa briefed Adviser to CM Punjab on Sports and Youth Affairs Wahab Riaz about different features of modern synthetic turf. Adviser to Chief Minister Punjab on Sports and Youth Affairs Wahab Riaz along with Secretary Sports and Youth Affairs Punjab Shahid Zaman and Director General Sports Punjab Dr Asif Tufail inspected the laying procedure of modern synthetic turf. Adviser to Chief Minister Punjab on Sports and Youth Affairs Wahab Riaz, Secretary Sports and Youth Affairs Punjab Shahid Zaman and Director General Sports Punjab Dr Asif Tufail were given souvenirs from representative of International Synthetic Turf Company on this occasion. Talking to media on this occasion, Adviser to CM Punjab on Sports and Youth Affairs Wahab Riaz said that laying of modern synthetic turf at world’s largest venue - National Hockey Stadium is a first major step towards true revival of hockey in the country. “After laying of modern synthetic turf at National Hockey Stadium, we are quite confident to bring back top international hockey teams to Pakistan”. Adviser to CM Punjab on Sports and Youth Affairs Wahab Riaz said that an international hockey event will be organized at National Hockey Stadium after the approval of FIH. “The project of modern synthetic turf is completed with the cost of Rs 16 crore. The synthetic turf is an international level facility which will definitely help a lot in improving the game skills of our hockey players”. Adviser to CM Punjab on Sports and Youth Affairs Wahab Riaz announced that a national level hockey tournament is being planned at National Hockey Stadium in which hockey teams from all over the country will participate. “National Hockey Stadium will be further upgraded with the collaboration of private sector. Hockey is our national game and modern synthetic turf is a gift for young talented hockey players of the country,” he added. Secretary Sports and Youth Affairs Punjab Shahid Zaman on this occasion gave a suggestion to utilize the space under different bridges of the city for sports activities with the collaboration of International Synthetic Turf Company upon which the representative of International Synthetic Turf Company expressed his willingness to fully cooperate with Punjab Sports Department for this unique project    

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: Lahore Division edged out Faisalabad Division by 4-3 on penalty shootouts in the nerve jangling title clash of First Ramzan Sports Series 2023 Hockey Championship on Monday night. Both the teams played a goal-less match in the stipulated time but in penalty shootouts, Lahore’s strikers and goalkeeper exhibited better performance and eventually emerged triumphant in the thrilling title clash. The winning team of Lahore was awarded a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh while the runners up Faisalabad got Rs 15 lakh. Adviser to Chief Minister Punjab on Sports and Youth Affairs Wahab Riaz, Secretary Sports and Youth Affairs Shahid Zaman, Director General Sports Punjab Dr Asif Tufail, Director Youth Affairs Syed Umair Hassan, Director Sports Nadeem Qaiser were also present on this occasion. In Ramzan Sports Series Table Tennis Women’s Singles final match, Lahore’s Kalsoom Khan defeated Lahore’s Pernia Khan by 3-1. Kalsoom won the title with the scores of 7-11, 11-9, 11-9 and 11-9. The title of Table Tennis Men’s Singles went to Lahore Asim Qureshi who defeated Faisalabad’s Hafeez ur Rehman by 3-2. The score of the final match was 11-9, 11-4, 6-11, 8-11 and 11-9. In Ramzan Sports Series Badminton Women’s Singles final match, Lahore’s Ghazala Siddique toppled Faisalabad’s Zubaira 2-0 with the score of 21-18, 21-6. Gujranwala defeated Multan by 2-1 in Ramzan Sports Series Men’s Singles Badminton Final. Azeem Sarwar of Gujranwala thrashed Multan’s Jalees in the title clash.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: Secretary General, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Haider Hussain has said that Sufian Khan would participate in the ongoing camp, which was organized for the preparation of the upcoming Asia Cup Hockey Tournament. “We are thankful to the Naval Chief who took interest in ending this matter. We are assured that all issues will be resolved one by one. All players and officials are focusing on the preparations for the Asia Cup. Sufyan is our national asset, he could not be ignored from the camp, “he added