Buoyed by the recent title win in the Azlan Shah tournament in Malaysia, Pakistan hockey manager Shahid Hamid Jaffery promised that his side will give its best to regain the prestigious Champions Trophy to be held in Holland this August.
"Our target is to win the Athens Olympics next year but we do not want to lose the Champions Trophy either," he said of the elite six-team tournament that Pakistan have not won since 1994.
Hamid was quoted by the media as saying that that though his team was still in the process of building, "the players have gained in confidence after beating Germany and South Korea recently in the Azlan Shah Tournament."
He was of the view that the two coming tournaments in Australia would give Pakistan a chance to experiment, following which "we would have a clear picture of things for the Champions Trophy."
The Champions Trophy is slated to take place in Amstelveen between August 16 and 24 while the first of the two competitions Down Under is due to run from May 29 to June 1 in Perth. The second tournament, in Sydney, is slated for June 4 to 8.
"The events in Australia will also provide us a good opportunity to see how effectively the mistakes of the Azlan Shah tournament have been rectified," he said.
The new team management of coach Shahnaz Shaikh and assistant coach Tahir Zaman along with Shahid, appointed last year, have shown results by capturing the Azlan Shah crown. "Having won this title is good but we have to win the ones that really matter," Shahid was quoted as saying.
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