Thaindian News

Karachi, July 6 (IANS) The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has decided to invest in technology in a bid to bring the national team at par with the world’s best sides ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.

To help their players attain better speeds, the PHF has decided to buy state-of-the-art devices from Europe. According to PHF secretary Asif Bajwa, a former Olympian, leading teams are already using devices that enable their players increase their speed.

“We have decided to buy new devices specifically made to help players increase their speed. We will make it sure that our players have access to any kind of technology that is being used by other teams so that they prepare well for the Olympic Games. We are willing to spend on anything that can help boost our Olympic preparations,” he said.

The PHF is getting advice from its Dutch coach Michel van den Heuvel and other experts working with the national team.

Three-time Olympic champion Pakistan flopped miserably in a four-nation Rabo Trophy in Amsterdam last week. They finished last in the event that featured European powerhouses the Netherlands, Germany and England.

Pakistan’s performance was a rude reminder of the fact that in spite of showing significant improvement since winning the Asian Games gold medal in Guangzhou (China) last year, Pakistan still lags far behind the world’s top teams.

Pakistan’s biggest problem is that players are not as fit as compared to Australia, the Netherlands and Germany. Even Asian teams like South Korea and China have better fitness.

“Our team certainly needs a lot of improvement before we start fancying our chances of winning the Olympic title,” Bajwa told The News Wednesday.

“What we desperately need at the moment is to increase the speed of our players,” said Bajwa. “It is of utmost importance because without that we won’t be able to beat top teams.”