INTERVIEW: Qualifying for LA2028 Olympics Pakistan’s main focus, says Manzoor Sr

KARACHI: The year 2026 is crucial for Pakistan hockey that has endured many crises on and off the field for ages. After a gap of eight years, the national team finally made it to this year’s World Cup, by reaching the final of a qualifying event in Ismailia, Egypt during March. Following the World Cup, Pakistan are set to lock horns with their continental rivals in the Asian Games scheduled to be staged in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan during Sept­ember-October. Pakistan, the former four-time World Cup winners, lost the decider in Ismailia 4-1 to England, the same team whom the Green-shirts will be facing in the pool stage of the World Cup being co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands from Aug 15 to 30. So, the challenge for Pakistan looks massive particularly when one glances at the prevailing state of affairs in the national game. Head coach stays upbeat ahead of this year’s World Cup However, Manzoor-ul-Hassan Senior, the recently-appointed head coach of the national senior team, remains optimistic about Pakistan’s show in the forthcoming World Cup. “In my opinion, the current Pakistan team contains six, seven players who can be ranked among the world’s top players. They have the capability to perform [well] in any [top-level] international event,” Manzoor, who replaced Khawaja Junaid after the Ismailia event, said in an exclusive interview with Dawn. “Nothing is impossible in sports, as it depends on how a team performs on a given day,” the member of Pakistan’s bronze-medal winning squad at the 1976 Olympics added. “As regards the World Cup, the players’ hard work will be crucial. I, as the head coach, will try my best to facilitate them in every way so that they can focus fully on the game and perform to the best of their abilities.” Interestingly, the head coach responding to a query asserted that Pakistan’s main focus, above everything, was on qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “Definitely my and the team’s aim is to give our best in the World Cup. However,