The demise of Asian hockey was very much evident in Lahore during the world cup matches. The Dutch outclassed the rest of the teams in the 12 nation 7th world cup tournament played at the national hockey stadium. It was utter disappointment for the 70,000 odd fans, which had squeezed into the 55,000 capacity stadium.
Pakistan found it tough, even playing on home turf in front of their own people speaks volumes for the Dutch strategy and preparedness for this cup, played amongst top field hockey playing nations in the world. Pakistan barely managed to keep the prestige of the subcontinent intact, but they did do it. India, their next door neighbor, unbeatable till a few decades ago had poor consolation in occupying the number 10 slot in the final standings. The country that was on the top in the Olympics for nearly 32 years today, finds it difficult to even qualify for the semis. This is a sorry tale of not only miss but also the downright neglect of sports on the whole.
The sport of hockey as we all know had undergone changes that favor the Europeans heavily, but that should not prevent the old masters from the subcontinent from staying on top. The use of AstroTurf requires better stamina. It also means better trapping. Without stamina the Indians or Pakistanis will not be able to dominate. Also with the new rules a lead of even 5 or 6 goals is not enough. The well-built and bulky players from Europe knows how to foul their opponents in the danger zone, Look who taught the Australians and look where they stand. The Anglo Indians who migrated there after independence contributed a lot to their hockey.
In contrast the standard of this game, in the sub-continent has taken a nose dive. Take a look at the overall standings at the end of the world cup. Six of the participants were from Europe. Two from the subcontinent and Soviet Union, Australia, Argentina and Canada made up the rest. Pakistan came in 2nd and India just avoided the play off from the last two sports. Four teams from Europe were in the top six spots. Even the lone participant from the down under Australia and Argentina from the South America were way ahead of the former Olympic gold medalists India.
Believe it or not I am convinced the games powerbase has shifted outside the subcontinent. Hockey is slowly but surely becoming unprintable world in Asia.
The final standing in the 12 nation 7th world cup field hockey is as under:
1.Netherlands
2.Pakistan
3.Australia
4.West Germany
5.England
6.Soviet Union
7.France
8.Spain
9.Argentina
10.India
11.Canada
12,Ireland
(This is an occasional column by Raj Singh commenting on affairs in the world of sport).
Article extracted from this publication >> March 9, 1990
