• FIH cancels Olympic qualifiers due to PHF’s issues.
• PHF suspended by country’s Sports Board, new elections mandated.
• New host for qualifiers undisclosed by FIH.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has made a difficult decision to cancel one of the men’s Olympic qualifiers scheduled for the 2024 Paris Olympics, which was originally planned to be held in Pakistan.

This decision was primarily driven by concerns about the lack of cooperation and excessive interference in the daily operations of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF). It’s important to note that the PHF had recently been suspended by the country’s Sports Board (PSB), which mandated new elections just last month. This suspension was implemented immediately on the orders of the outgoing Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on his last day in office.

The suspension of the Pakistan Hockey Federation, authorized by the state-owned institution PSB, played a significant role in the FIH’s decision. In a previous announcement made in July, the FIH had revealed that China, Pakistan, and Spain were chosen to host the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers, scheduled to take place between January 13 and 21, 2024. Lahore was designated as one of the venues for the men’s qualifying matches. These Olympic qualifiers were eagerly awaited as they marked the return of a major international sporting event to Pakistan after a gap of two decades, with the last significant event being the Hockey Champions Trophy in 2004.

At present, the Pakistan men’s hockey team is preparing to participate in the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, which will start on September 23rd. The FIH has not yet disclosed information about the new host for the canceled Olympic qualifiers. The participation of Pakistan in the qualifiers is uncertain until a new administrative body for the PHF is established.

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