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LAHORE: Pakistan’s national hockey team has left Lahore for the Netherlands and Belgium, where the Green Shirts will begin their long-awaited campaign at the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup. The team departed from Allama Iqbal International Airport on Sunday, August 9, with players and coaching staff heading to Europe with hopes of making a strong impression on the world stage. The World Cup is scheduled to take place from August 15 to 30, with matches being played across venues in the Netherlands and Belgium. Pakistan are returning to the tournament after an eight-year absence, adding extra significance to their campaign. The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has also released Rs200 million in foreign daily allowances for the players ahead of the competition. The amount has been transferred to the accounts of the team members. According to the PHF, all major logistical arrangements for the squad have been completed. Travel, accommodation and food arrangements for players and coaching staff have also been finalised, allowing the team to focus fully on preparations for the tournament. PHF President Mohyuddin Wani said the welfare of players and coaches remained a top priority. He added that financial and administrative matters had been addressed before the team’s departure. Pakistan secured their place in the World Cup after producing a dramatic comeback against Japan in the qualifying tournament earlier this year. The victory ended an eight-year wait for the former world champions to return to hockey’s biggest stage. The Green Shirts have been placed in Pool D alongside England, India and Wales, setting up a demanding group-stage campaign. Pakistan will open their World Cup campaign against England on August 15, followed by Wales on August 17 and arch-rivals India on August 19. With the team now on its way, attention will turn to whether Pakistan can turn its return to the global stage into a memorable tournament.

MULTAN: Sahibzada Farhan produced a composed century as Pakistan Blues chased down 213 with ease, defeating Pakistan Gold by six wickets in the second match of the National Champions Cup 2026 at Multan Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. Farhan’s unbeaten-looking control throughout the chase proved decisive as Pakistan Blues reached their target in just 41 overs, losing only four wickets and underlining their dominance with both bat and ball. Opening with Maaz Sadaqat, Farhan helped Blues make a steady start, adding 30 runs for the first wicket inside five overs. Maaz contributed nine before departing, but Farhan quickly found another reliable partner in Mohammad Faiq. The pair added 55 runs for the second wicket, taking Blues to 85 in 16 overs. Faiq struck four boundaries during his 35-ball 30 before leaving the crease. Tayyab Tahir then joined Farhan and the two maintained the pressure on Pakistan Gold’s bowlers. Their 64-run partnership took Blues close to the finishing line, with Tahir scoring 35 from 41 balls, including three fours. At 149-3 after 29.1 overs, Farhan reached his ninth List-A century, providing the highlight of a commanding individual performance. The right-hander eventually made 102 from 101 deliveries, smashing nine fours and two sixes. Rohail Nazir and Irfan Khan then completed the job, remaining unbeaten on 21 and nine respectively. Mohammad Imran was Pakistan Gold’s most successful bowler, taking two wickets. Earlier, Pakistan Gold struggled after captain Shaheen Afridi elected to bat first. Hasan Ali and Sufyan Moqim led a powerful Blues bowling effort, sharing eight wickets between them. Pakistan Gold began positively through Shamyl Hussain and Saad Khan, but Saad fell for nine. Shamyl then combined with Kamran Ghulam for a 75-run partnership before Moqim ended the stand by removing Shamyl for a well-made 50 off 47 balls. Kamran continued to fight, adding 36 with Haider Ali. He top-scored with 63 from 84 deliveries, while Haider struck 44 from 53 balls. However, Pakistan Gold collapsed from 136-3 to 174-6 in just 3.2 overs as Hasan and Moqim tore through the middle order. The Gold innings eventually ended at 212 in 45.3 overs. Moqim and Hasan claimed four wickets apiece, while Arafat Minhas added two. With Farhan’s century completing a convincing chase, Pakistan Blues have made an emphatic statement in the early stages of the Champions Cup.

Fauzia Haimani has done it again. The Pakistani athlete, who is based in Canada, has completed her fourth full Ironman triathlon. This latest finish came at the Ironman event held in Ottawa, where she once again showed off her fitness and endurance. The Ironman is widely considered one of the toughest challenges in endurance sports. It is not a single race. It is three gruelling events combined into one long day. Athletes start with a 3.8-kilometre swim. From there, they move straight into a 180-kilometre cycling stretch. The event then wraps up with a full 42.2-kilometre marathon. All three legs happen back to back, with no rest days in between. Completing all three takes serious physical and mental preparation. Fauzia finished the entire course in 15 hours, 22 minutes, and 35 seconds. Her swim alone took 1 hour and 45 minutes. She then moved on to cycling, completing that portion in 7 hours and 7 minutes. The final stretch, the marathon, took her 6 hours and 11 minutes to finish. This is not new territory for her. Fauzia has completed the full Ironman challenge three times before this latest finish. She first did it in 2021. She returned to complete it again in 2024, and once more in 2025. That makes this her fourth full Ironman overall. Her endurance résumé does not stop there. Alongside the full Ironman races, Fauzia has also completed the half Ironman challenge five separate times. Together, these accomplishments paint the picture of an athlete who has built real consistency in one of the most demanding sports out there. Events like these require months of training. Long swims, long rides, and long runs all need to be built up gradually. Athletes also have to manage nutrition, pacing, and recovery carefully to make it through such a demanding single-day event. Fauzia’s latest finish adds another achievement to her growing list. It also reflects the kind of discipline and determination it takes to keep coming back to one of the hardest physical challenges an athlete can attempt. Her continued participation in international endurance events also highlights the presence of Pakistani athletes on demanding global sporting stages, even outside more commonly covered sports.

Fayyaz Hussain Bukhari, who previously coached Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem, has said the javelin thrower was not at peak fitness ahead of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Nadeem’s campaign there ended in disappointment. Speaking to The Express Tribune from Lahore, Bukhari said he had watched Nadeem during throwing sessions and didn’t see the intensity needed to challenge for medals at a major event. According to him, fitness is the single most important factor for any athlete. He added that if an athlete is not fit, competing should not even be considered an option. Bukhari coached Nadeem for eight years and played a key role in helping him qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. He said fitness had always been central to his coaching philosophy during that period. Reflecting on the lead-up to Tokyo, Bukhari recalled that Nadeem had contracted COVID-19 and was also nursing an elbow injury at the time. He said Nadeem had insisted he wouldn’t compete unless he reached full fitness. Through focused work together, they managed to get him back in shape. Bukhari pointed to Nadeem’s strong throw at the Tokyo Games as evidence that the effort had paid off. He also called for mandatory fitness testing before athletes are cleared for international events. He expressed concern that such checks appear to have been abandoned altogether in recent years. Nadeem’s Glasgow campaign ended in a surprising early exit. He failed to progress past the qualifying round, finishing ninth out of twelve finalists based on his first three throws. The result stood in sharp contrast to his performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he won gold with a record-breaking throw of 92.97 metres. While Nadeem has claimed several medals since his Olympic win, his recent form has not matched that historic peak. This has raised some concern, given the immense potential he continues to carry as an athlete. Bukhari was removed from his coaching role by the Athletics Federation of Pakistan after Nadeem finished fifth in Tokyo. Salman Butt has since taken over as his coach. Despite the recent setback, Bukhari remains confident Nadeem can regain his top form. He said the athlete doesn’t necessarily need another massive throw, since he’s already delivered one on the world’s biggest stage. Instead, he believes Nadeem needs to focus on correcting his mindset and overall approach. Bukhari also criticized Butt, alleging he has distanced Nadeem from both the federation and his former coach. He added that he remains willing to help if needed, and called for stronger cooperation among Pakistan’s sports bodies to improve the country’s standing internationally.