The News International

KARACHI: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) and the Pakistani team officials and players are focussing on next March?s Olympic qualifiers to be held in Madrid, Spain.

The federation is planning to arrange back-to-back series of test matches against world champions Germany and Olympic champions Netherlands during their tour of Europe next summer to prepare themselves for Olympic Qualifiers.

The PHF has planned to include three test matches each against Germany and Holland in the national team?s European tour due to take place during May-June next year. Pakistan are scheduled to undertake a European sojourn next summer as a part of their preparation programme for the 2004 Olympic Games to be held in Athens (Greece) in August.

A PHF official said on Thursday that PHF would send the national team to Europe at least two weeks before the Hamburg quadrangular in order to provide the squad enough time to play matches against the two European giants.

The PHF officials said that talks were already on with the Dutch and German hockey officials and there were bright chances that the dates and venues for the test matches will be finalized within next few weeks.

He pointed out that the European tour will be a crucial assignment for the Pakistanis as it will be the last time that the team will get a chance to play against top quality oppositions before the Athens Olympiad.

PHF Secretary Musarrat said that winning a medal in Athens is Pakistan?s biggest target and the PHF will make all possible efforts to ensure that the team is well-prepared for the Olympics.

He said that Pakistan wants to win a medal in Athens but to do that they will first have to qualify for the Olympics by giving a good show in the Madrid Qualifiers. The PHF secretary said that Pakistan would get a chance to appear in two international tournaments before Olympic qualifiers.

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