LAHORE: Ever since it was whisked away from the Tarmac on arrival at the Lahore International Airport the Indian Hockey Team’s lifestyle has undergone a change.
The low profile players led by Pargat Singh have been forced to live with the stern looking armed escorts tagging on to them every time they step out of their hotel room.
The squad which had to face hostile behavior of a sectin of the spectators thronging the huge national hockey stadium, whenever it made an appearance, feels to unsafe to stir out of the safe confines of the guarded hotel even when the players want to take a stroll on the famous Lahore mall.
Their routine is somewhat regimented. They do their warm up exercises either in the hotel lobby or on the lawns below and when they move towards the stadium, the team coach is sandwiched between motorcycle riders and police van.
“We feel it is not safe to move around in the city though we would love to get away from the rooms we are stuck in,” said one senior member of the squad who preferred to remain anonymous.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 2, 1990
