LAHORE - Former hockey Olympian Shafqat Malik has stressed the need to lend support to national hockey team for exhibiting improved performance in London Olympics 2012.
Talking to the reporters outside the National Hockey Stadium where a few former Olympians has established their anti-PHF camp, Shafqat said: “It is our team and we should encourage it ahead of its participation in Olympics and we should not discourage it by setting up protest camp against it, the way a few Olympians are doing so “,
Shafqat supported the PHF in making best possible training programme for the team’s preparations for the Olympics and said at a time when the mega event was fast approaching there was a dire need to show unity and to boost the team’s morale to perform better.
“I think the protest camp will not yield a positive outcome as it is a negative campaign against the team and the PHF,” he said.
“It is the time that every one who is attached with hockey or remained associated with the game should come forward and play his due role in motivating the team as it is team Pakistan not PHF team,” he added.
The former Olympian said no one can guarantee on part of a particular team regarding its showing in the Olympics and there is no system which can guarantee a gold or silver to a team in the pre-tournament rating.
“How come PHF can predict about Pak team’s winning a gold medal in the Olympics,” he said.