Birmingham, 29 July 2022 (TDI): Benish Hayat, Pakistan’s first female hockey umpire, has been chosen to serve on the umpiring panel for a Commonwealth game 2022.
The whole nation is proud of your achievement #BenishHayat https://t.co/UYWdeMPD0Y
— Pakistan Hockey (PHF) (@PHFOfficial) July 28, 2022
She is the first Pakistani umpire who will be on the umpire panel for the competition and the first female hockey official from the nation to oversee a major event.
The Commonwealth Games started from 28 July 2022 and will end on 8 August 2022. The competition of Hockey is to start on 29 July. The men’s final will take place on August 8, while the women’s final will take place on August 7.
Benish Hayat: A Profile
Benish played 10 times for Pakistan as a former hockey player. She competed for Pakistan in the 2006 Asian Games Qualifiers and helped her country advance to the main competition by placing fourth.
Benish was formerly classified as an “International Umpire,” despite having been a whistleblower in the international arena since 2012.
She had umpired at the South Asian Federation Games, Asian Hockey Federation Under-18, and Asian Challenge Cup. Since her debut, she has overseen 49 games, including the 2018 Women’s Asian Games in Indonesia.
She was also part of the panel of umpires for the 2016 South Asian Games in India. Even though, she didn’t wind up presiding over any games during the competition.
With the designation of Promising Umpire, Benish is now qualified to officiate at international competitions like the Euro Hockey Nations Championships, African, Pan American, and Oceania Cups in addition to major Asian events like the Asian Games, Asian Champions Trophy, etc.
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games, also known as the Friendly Games, are an international multisport competition held every four years for athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations.
Except for 1942 and 1946, the tournament has run every four years since it was first staged in 1930.
