Kathmandu. Hockey is one of the oldest organized games played in Nepal. On Sunday, Nepali hockey has attained the height it could not reach before. For the first time in history, Nepal has been accommodated by the Federation of International Hockey (FIH) in indoor hockey rankings.

The new FIH ranking places Nepal 37^th in the male hockey category with Australia leading the list. Nepal ranks 9^th from among the Asian countries, with Iran at the top. Malaysia, Thailand and Bangladesh are ahead of Nepal.

Similarly, as per the new FIH ranking, Nepal is in the 42^nd place in the female category. Germany leads the world in women hockey. Nepal is ranked 7^th among Asian nations, as regards female hockey. Nepal lies below Iran, Chinese Taipei and Uzbekistan.

This improvement in ranking has provided a consolation to Nepal Hockey Association, mangled in internal disputes for a long time.

Nepali hockey was a thriving game and carried high hopes in the past, but its neglected state at present can be imagined from it not being  chosen in the latest South Asian Games held in Nepal. The current rankings could be a silver lining for Nepali hockey covered in the dark cloud of organizational problems, and probably, it would uplift the self-esteem of the hockey players, now almost in oblivion.