LAHORE: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Thursday announced the withdrawal of its men’s team from the Junior Hockey World Cup, to be played in India from November 28 to December 10.
In a statement, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Secretary Rana Mujahid said the federation has formally informed the International Hockey Federation (FIH) that Pakistan would not participate in the tournament under the circumstances.
He added that Pakistan had proposed the option of playing its matches at a neutral venue instead. “It is not at all appropriate to travel and play to India under the current situation,” he said.
In a similar vein, Pakistan earlier withdrew from the 2025 Asia Cup, which was played in Bihar from August 29 to September 7 and was won by the hosts, who crushed South Korea 4-1 in a one-sided final.
The controversy started when India decided not to allow its team to cross the border for the Champions Trophy, which Islamabad termed as the politicization of the sport.
Later, both countries agreed on a ‘merger formula’ under which India would participate in the mega tournament at a neutral venue instead of the host country, Pakistan.
Pakistan was also forced to host the 2023 ACC Men’s Asia Cup on a hybrid model, with India’s matches and the final held in Sri Lanka. However, Pakistan did play India in the 2023 ICC World Cup hosted there.
Sohail Imran is a senior reporter for Geo News.
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