Pakistan hockey in jeopardy

PHF yet to submit documentation of junior and senior national teams.

KARACHI: The participation of the junior hockey team and the senior team in the Youth Olympic Games and the Asian Games, respectively, is in jeopardy as the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has yet to file the requisite documents.

The PHF officials, who were supposed to send the names and complete documentation to Arif Hassan’s Pakistan Olympic Association (POA), have only sent the documents of 15 of the 25 members of the senior team, while even the names of the junior squad have not been filed.

The 2014 Nanjing Summer Youth Olympic Games will take place from August 16 to August 28 and the 2014 Asian Games will be held in Incheon, South Korea from September 19 to October 4. Meanwhile, according to Hassan, the deadline for entry in both the games was April 30.

Hassan is trying his best to get the national teams to compete in the events. “As the vice president of South Asia in the Olympic Council of Asia, I will request the respective event organisers to extend the date of application,” he said.

“It is the only chance for the teams to participate in the events. I am not aware when the PHF decides to send the documents. They have not contacted me till now.”

Meanwhile, PHF Secretary General Rana Mujahid said that he has asked the new players to bring their documents at the camp starting from May 5. The federation will then send complete documents to the POA by May 8.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 3^rd, 2014.

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