Former Pakistan Hockey Olympians Arrested for Gambling

Representational Image: The scandal comes at a time when the national junior Pakistan team is training in Lahore in preparation for a tournament.

Eight former hockey Olympians and internationals including three officials of the national junior team have landed up in police custody after being caught in Lahore while resorting to gambling.

Those arrested include the coaches of the national junior team, Qamar Ibrahim, Muhammad Irfan sr and Kamran Ashraf and other hockey Olympian and internationals including Danish Kaleem, Anjum Saeed, Sohail Ashraf.

The players who were paraded on television channels by the police were arrested by the Ghalib market police from a local hotel while they indulged in gambling.

"There was a female with them also and we recovered thousands of rupees, mobile phones and cards," SHO Nasir Hameed said.

The eight were produced before a judicial magistrate by the police who have been given remand of the players. A source in the Pakistan hockey federation said that the PHF President, Akhtar Rasool had tried his best to get the case against the players dropped but met with no success.

"A former Olympian, Qasim Khan who is now a senior superintendent police also tried to intervene and convince his seniors to drop the case against the players but he also failed in his bid," the source said.

The scandal comes at a time when the national junior team is training in Lahore in preparation for a tournament.