KARACHI: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) this week stripped Pakistan of the hosting rights for the Olympic Qualifier tournament which was scheduled to be held in January 2024, an official of the international federation confirmed on Wednesday, marking a setback for the South Asian country which was once counted among the global powerhouses of the sport. 

According to the FIH, China, Spain and Pakistan were supposed to host the qualifiers from January 13 to 21 next year. The matches in Pakistan were scheduled to be held in Lahore. 

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) announced on Tuesday that the FIH had withdrawn hosting rights for the qualifiers from Pakistan due to “non-cooperation and interference in the PHF’s affairs” by the government. Confirming the development, Nicolas Maingot, the FIH’s senior communication manager, said the decision was taken “primarily due to recent developments in the governance situation of the Federation.”

“However, supporting and reviving hockey in the country – considered as one of the historic powerhouses of our sport — remains a high priority on the FIH agenda that will be welcomed by the global hockey community,” Maingot told Arab News. “Therefore, we will continue to work closely with the Pakistan Hockey Federation in the future.”

Maingot said a new host country for the Olympic qualifiers that were supposed to take place in Pakistan would be announced soon. He added that the other qualifiers will be staged in China and Spain according to the original schedule. 

In its statement on Tuesday, the PHF said international tournaments necessitated government cooperation and support, which is provided by Pakistan’s government, the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination, and the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB). “Organizing an event like the Olympic Qualifier without the Government of Pakistan’s support is impossible. Hence, the hosting of the Olympic qualifier event in Pakistan is being withdrawn,” it said. 

The PHF said it had secured hosting rights for the 2024 Olympic Qualifier event on a global scale, marking the federation’s return to hosting such a prestigious event since the 1990 World Cup and the 1994 Champions Trophy, which were also held in Pakistan. 

“PHF had been diligently preparing for this opportunity,” the federation said. “However, it’s worth noting that India had voiced significant reservations regarding Pakistan’s role as the host for the Olympic qualifier event.”

It pointed out how former FIH president Narendra Batra openly criticized Pakistan’s hosting decision and raised concerns regarding the state of hockey infrastructure in the country. 

 PHF Secretary Haider Hussain expressed disappointment over the decision, laying stress on strenuous efforts undertaken by the federation to secure the event.

“It [event] could have revived international hockey in Pakistan, besides giving the country a better opportunity to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics,” he told Pakistani daily Dawn. 

Hussain further revealed that the federation’s bank accounts had been seized on August 28, based on the PSB’s advice, preventing it from meeting the FIH’s financial requirements, which amounted to approximately Rs15 million.

However, PSB Director-General Shoaib Khoso rejected the allegations, saying that the board had never seized PHF’s accounts. 

“It’s not true, baseless allegation,” Khoso told Arab News. “PSB only suspended the body on the directions of the patron (prime minister).”

Field hockey, Pakistan’s national sport, once propelled the country to Olympic gold and global glory, but it has waned in popularity and participation over the past two decades. According to the latest rankings released by the IHF in August, Pakistan is ranked at number 15 in the world when it comes to field hockey.