BEIJING, Sept. 23 : Pakistani national men\u2019s hockey team is making final preparations to show their best at the 19 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. \u201cThere is a brand new team, young but competitive,\u201d Shehnaz Sheikh, Head Coach of Pakistan\u2019s hockey team told China Economic Net. He expressed his confidence in the team and their abilities, saying that even though they know that medaling in China will not be easy, they are fighting for honour. Umar Bhutta, the captain of Pakistan\u2019s hockey team, has voiced his aspiration to produce a good result in Hanghzou. \u201cThe 2010 Asian Games were held in China in which Pakistan won the gold medal in hockey,\u201d he said, adding \u201cWe are hopeful that the team will be successful in winning medals in this year\u2019s game and make the country famous.\u201d The team also spoke highly about China\u2019s excellence in organizing mega events, saying the previous two editions of the Asian Games, in 1990 in Beijing and 2010 in Guangzhou, have been a resounding success. Pakistani hockey team has been assigned to Group A along with bitter rivals India, Japan, Bangladesh, Singapore, and Uzbekistan, according to the schedule that has been made public. The much-anticipated Pakistan vs India hockey match is scheduled for September 30. The Indian men\u2019s hockey team are two-time Asian Games champion while Pakistan has won the gold medal at the continental showpiece a record eight times. According to Pakistan\u2019s sports board, over 250 Pakistani athletes will participate in the 19th Asian Games, which begins on September 23. This edition is set to be the largest ever, with around 12,500 athletes from 45 countries and regions competing in 40 sports, 61 disciplines, and 481 events.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BEIJING, Sept. 23 : Pakistani national men\u2019s hockey team is making final preparations to show their best at the 19 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. \u201cThere is a brand new team, young but competitive,\u201d Shehnaz Sheikh, Head Coach of Pakistan\u2019s hockey team told China Economic Net. He expressed his confidence in the team and their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":357843,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-357837","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n