Bangladesh

Once hockey as a discipline in the country caught the eyes of the critics for being the part of former Pakistan and the hockey officials sounded words of hope including climbing to the Asian standard, which the sport circle began to believe to some extent though the illusion took no time to disappear due to unabated dismal performance for years together. Now it is calculated that the game of hockey has no future at all for the standard of the players are far below the requisite standard. Hockey being a fast game and the players needing sufficient physical strength and stamina, the Bangladeshi players lag far behind in these two faculties. Moreover, the rules are fast changing to suit the Europeans and blocking the Asian?s road to the goal.

Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) successfully organised a number of hockey tournaments last year at home. The leading clubs for titles hired players from Pakistan and India, but the National teams (both senior and junior) cut a very sorry figure including senior team?s miserable loss to China by a margin of eight goals in the Asian Cup Hockey in Singapore. The federation officials did not hold any international tournament at home at club level in 2003. Neighbouring India holds number of tournaments every year where leading clubs from all over the country take part to judge their strength provided Indian Hockey Federation agrees. BHF may communicate with their Indian counterpart to find out the way to send the clubs from Bangladesh to learn, and to mend the fence.

It is true that the standard of all the Asian nations is not alike. Pakistan, India and South Korea fall into A category while Malaysia and Japan are considered second grade teams.

While the C category teams include Bangladesh, China and Hong Kong of China so far their last one year?s performance is concerned.

Hockey is considered a summer game in our country. But the climate being very hot for last several years, it is very hard to play during this time for which it may be shifted to the winter. Hockey has is own stadium and, therefore, there is no problem to organise any tournament in the winter and the late autumn. In this connection it should be noted with care that sponsor should not be accounted for as part of raising the standard. If no business magnate or the industrialist comes forward, should hockey be frozen? Asked a hockey fan. He added that the government spend huge amount of taka for unproductive purposes, a part of which may be transferred to the development of hockey under the strict supervision of a skilled and honest trainer.

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