Pakistan Hockey Federation Requests Neutral Venue for Junior World Cup Matches
The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has reached out to the International Hockey Federation (FIH) to request that the upcoming junior hockey World Cup matches be moved to a neutral venue. This request comes after reports surfaced indicating that Pakistan would not be sending its team to compete in the tournament, which is scheduled to take place in India.
Hockey India (HI), the governing body for the sport in India, stated that they were unaware of Pakistan’s withdrawal. Pakistan and India are placed in the same group for the tournament, set to occur later this year in Chennai and Madurai. Given the ongoing tensions between the two nations, the PHF has opted not to field a team, making this the second major event in India that Pakistan has chosen to forgo this year, following their absence from the Asia Cup.
Bholanth Singh, the secretary general of HI, mentioned that he had spoken with PHF officials recently who confirmed their team would participate in the Junior World Cup. “We have not received any notice from FIH about Pakistan’s withdrawal. A month and a half ago, they assured us of their participation,” Singh informed PTI. He expressed hope that the tournament goes smoothly and that India clinches the title, noting that it is now up to FIH to find a replacement for Pakistan.
PHF Secretary General Rana Mujahid emphasized the need for a neutral venue, arguing that missing out on key events in India is detrimental to the growth of hockey within Pakistan. “We have requested FIH to arrange for a neutral venue for us to be able to participate in the Junior World Cup since being unable to play hurts our players’ development,” he said during a statement from Lahore.
Rana pointed out the difficulty of competing in India when athletes from both nations are reluctant to engage with each other, even at neutral venues. According to him, FIH explained that these events were assigned to India long before the current conflicts, so the situation was unforeseen.
As the tournament approaches, FIH is actively searching for a suitable replacement for the Pakistan team.
