Pakistan Hockey Federation to organise two international tournaments in 2012: Hockey News
In order to revive the past glory of the sport in the country, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) is putting all its efforts to host international events in the country. The officials of the federation are in contact with various hockey bodies to invite them
to Pakistan.
Asif Bajwa, the Secretary of the PHF held talks with officials of the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) to finalise the matters regarding 2012 Calendar. Besides this, the secretary also held a one-on-one meeting with his Malaysian counterpart to invite his team
for a bi-lateral series.
Speaking to the media, Asif Bajwa informed that the Malaysian hockey squad is likely to visit Pakistan for a bi-lateral series by this year. However, he stated that a three-member security team will pay a visit to Pakistan to review the security arrangements
in the host country.
Commenting on the 2012 Hockey Calendar, the PHF Secretary was of the view that Pakistan will host a couple of tournaments namely Asian Hockey Championship and Indoor Asia Hockey Cup. These events will be organised in Lahore and Islamabad respectively, amid
tight security arrangements.
In addition to this, he further said that they are in touch with the Hockey India officials to finalise the matters of a bi-lateral series between the two neighbouring countries. The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi will hold dialogues with the officials
of the Hockey India to decide the matters in this regard. The Secretary also expressed that the bi-lateral event would be held in the month of September or November 2011.
To a query, the PHF Secretary said that the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has permitted the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) to host a hockey event and they would have no objection for the participation of any player. In his views, the league will
provide an international exposure to the players besides financial benefits. Apart from these advantages, the event will also help the two countries to further strengthen their ties.
Commenting on the performance of the Greenshirts in the just-concluded Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, which was recently held in Malaysia, Asif Bajwa was of the opinion that the players would have to improve their game. He, however, expressed satisfaction with the
performance of the Pakistan team in the finals against Australia where the latter managed a victory via a golden goal in the second half of the extra-time. It is vital to mention here that Pakistan secured a silver medal after losing the final game. The Secretary
stated, “If players continue playing like this then we will achieve our set targets in near future.”
The Secretary opined that the Greenshirts would get the targets, if they continue to display the same high-performance level with required improvements.
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