Source: Daily Times

LAHORE: The newly appointed ad hoc committee of the Indian Hockey Federation is keen to hold home and away series between Pakistan and India after the Olympic Games in Beijing concludes. Last series between the two countries were held in 2006. A spokesman for the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) told Daily Times on Wednesday that an official of the ad hoc committee had shown great interest to hold the series between the two countries.

“The PHF officials have communicated to their Indian counterparts that Pakistan are also keen to play against them but unable to commit before the Beijing Olympics because green shirts are very busy,” the spokesman added.

He said the Indians were also informed that Pakistan, after playing Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia this month, would travel to Europe for a series of matches in Germany, France and Belgium before participating in a 4-nation hockey tournament at Dublin, Ireland in middle of June. “Thereafter, the national team will have a marathon camp for their final Olympics preparation.”

The PHF official said this urgency to hold the series between the two nations was more discernable from the Indian side since the eight times Olympic champions had been ousted from Beijing Olympics for the first time in their 80-year history. “The Indians, who have suffered ignominy in back-to-back two tournaments at Perth and Darwin in Australia recently, are desperate to build their outfit anew keeping in mind the staging of 2010 World Cup in India. However, the PHF is receptive to this suggestion while the modalities for staging this series will be worked out between the two federations after the Beijing Olympics,” he concluded.

 E-mail this article to a friend

Tags: Beijing Olympics, Hockey, India, Pakistan, PHF