As the Pakistan hockey team has missed out on the Hockey World Cup for the second time, one can only recall the time when the national hockey stars used to shine bright in the world of sport.
A team that has won three Olympic gold medals, four World Cups, eight Asian Games gold medals, and three Champions Trophy titles is now reeling at the 18th spot.
Let’s take a look at Pakistan’s history in the Olympic Games since its inception in 1948 to get a sense of how dominant they were at the global stage.
1948
The Pakistan hockey team competed in the 1948 Olympics in London for the first time where Pakistan finished fourth after going undefeated in the group stage but lost the semi-final to Great Britain.
1952
Under the captaincy of Mohammad Niaz Khan, Pakistan competed in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, where they lost in the semi-finals to the Netherlands and finished fourth for the second time in the event.
1956
The 1956 Olympics in Melbourne was the first Olympics event where the Pakistan hockey team qualified for the final and won the silver medal. Pakistan went undefeated in the group stage before defeating the United Kingdom in the semi-final. The Men in Green lost to India in the final.
1960
The field hockey event at the 1960 Olympics in Rome was the first time Pakistan won a gold medal after defeating India in the final. The Pakistani team remained undefeated in the tournament.
1964
At the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, the defending champions lost 1–0 to India in the gold medal match. Pakistan had won all of the event’s preliminary round matches.
1968
The Pakistani hockey team came back and won the gold medal in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, defeating Australia 2-1 in the final. They won all nine of their matches in the tournament.
1972
Pakistan competed in the 1972 Olympics in Munich and won silver after losing the final match to West Germany 0-1. The Men in Green won six of the nine games they had played in the tournament.
1976
The 1976 Olympics were held in Montreal, Canada, and the Pakistani hockey team failed to qualify for the final for the first time in 20 years, losing 2-1 to Australia in the semi-final. However, they brought home the bronze medal.
1980
The men’s field hockey tournament was held in Moscow during the 1980 Olympics, however, Pakistan and nine other teams withdrew as part of the boycott led by the United States in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
1984
Pakistan’s hockey team won its third gold medal in Los Angeles, defeating West Germany 2–1 in the final. Pakistan won two of their five matches before defeating Australia 1-0 in the semi-finals.
1988
The Pakistan hockey team did not qualify for the semi-finals for the first time in 32 years at the 1988 Olympics, finishing fifth after defeating India 2-1.
1992
The national hockey team competed in the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, in 1992, and won bronze in the men’s hockey competition. They won all of their round matches but were defeated in the semi-finals by Germany.
1996
The 1996 Summer Olympics were held in Atlanta, Georgia, and the United States national hockey team finished sixth. The Men in Green had managed to win only two matches.
2000
During the men’s field hockey tournament at the 2000 Olympics which was held in Sydney, the Pakistan team failed to win any medal and ended the event in 4th place. They lost to South Korea in the semi-final and then Australia in the Bronze medal match.
2004
The 2004 Olympics Games were held in Athens, Greece where the national hockey team finished the tournament in 5th place after defeating New Zealand 4-2. They won three out of five matches in the preliminary round.
2008
The national hockey team competed in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, where they finished fourth in their group after winning two and losing three games. They finished the tournament in eighth place after losing their match against New Zealand for 7th/8th place.
2012
The men’s field hockey tournament at the 2012 Summer Olympics which was held in London, United Kingdom was the last event the national hockey team participated in. The national team finished the event in 7th place.
| Year | Place | Host Country |
| 1948 | 4th | United Kingdom |
| 1952 | 4th | Finland |
| 1956 | 2nd | Australia |
| 1960 | Champions | Italy |
| 1964 | 2nd | Japan |
| 1968 | Champions | Mexico |
| 1972 | 2nd | Germany |
| 1976 | 3rd | Canada |
| 1984 | Champions | United States |
| 1988 | 5th | South Korea |
| 1992 | 3rd | Spain |
| 1996 | 6th | United States |
| 2000 | 4th | Australia |
| 2004 | 5th | Greece |
| 2008 | 8th | China |
| 2012 | 7th | United Kingdom |
For more than a decade, Pakistan’s hockey team has been in disarray, failing to qualify for two of the last three Men’s Hockey World Cups, as well as the last two Summer Olympic Games.
Pakistan is currently ranked 18th, well behind Asian rivals India, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan, all of whom qualified for the 2023 World Cup.
What the three-time Olympics gold medalists need is to break away from their past glory and accept the challenges and versatility of the modern game in order to adopt modern hockey techniques.
