KARACHI: Pakistan began their bid to qualify for a first Olympics in 12 years with a 6-1 loss against Great Britain on Monday in Oman, the Pakistan Hockey Federation said in a statement ahead of Pakistan’s game against China today, Tuesday.

Pakistan, three-time Olympic champions, have failed to qualify for the last two editions of the Games. GB’s men have not won an Olympic medal since 1988 and missed out on a semifinal spot to India at Tokyo 2020.

“In the ongoing Olympic qualifier event in Muscat, Oman, Pakistan lost to England by six goals to one in their first pool match,” PHF said. “Abdul Hanan Shahid scored the only goal for Pakistan.”

Pakistan could not take advantage of the four penalty corners received during the match, while the England hockey team received 12 penalty corners.

“The England hockey team established the lead from the beginning of the match and played with a better strategy, scoring two penalty corners, one penalty stroke and three field goals, while the only goal from Pakistan was scored by Abdul Hanan Shahid through a field goal,” PHF said.

Last year, the International Hockey Federation stripped Pakistan of hosting rights for the Olympic Qualifier tournament due to “non-cooperation and interference in the PHF’s affairs” by the government, marking a setback for the South Asian country which was once counted among the global powerhouses of the sport.

According to the FIH, China, Spain and Pakistan were supposed to host the qualifiers from January 13 to 21. The matches in Pakistan were scheduled to be held in Lahore.

Field hockey, Pakistan’s national sport, once propelled the country to Olympic gold and global glory, but the game has waned in popularity and participation over the past two decades. 

According to the latest rankings released by the IHF last August, Pakistan is ranked at number 15 in the world in field hockey.