KARACHI: Pakistan hockey finally received some reprieve from its monetary woes after the 2014 Asian Games runners-up were paid their due reward by the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) as per the National Sports Policy.
The PSB paid out Rs700,000 to each player who won silver medals at the Games held in Incheon, South Korea from September 19 to October 4.
The team lost the final to arch-rivals India 1-0, which not only cost them the title but also direct entry to the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics. The Greenshirts then had another chance to qualify for the mega event by finishing among the top five at the Hockey World League (HWL) Semi-finals, but finished eighth out of 10 teams.
The players expressed delight at receiving the amount. “We have not received our daily allowances for the past two months, so this payment is a huge relief for us,” goalkeeper Imran Butt told The Express Tribune.
He added that had the PSB taken this step a bit earlier, then the players would certainly have been in a good frame of mind to perform better at the HWL semi-finals.
Meanwhile, the Greenshirts still await an almost equal remuneration for their silver-medal victory at the Champions Trophy, which they are hopeful of receiving sooner than later.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 17th, 2015.
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