With less than a month remaining for the ICC Men's Junior Hockey World Cup to begin, Pakistan has decided to withdraw from the tournament. The Pakistan hockey team has refused to travel to India.
Sports News: Less than a month remains for the ICC Men's Junior Hockey World Cup to commence, but Pakistan has delivered a significant blow by deciding to withdraw from the tournament. This prestigious tournament is scheduled to be held from November 28 to December 10 in Chennai and Madurai. Pakistan has cited the existing political tensions with India as the reason for its withdrawal.
In the tournament, Pakistan was placed in Group B alongside India, Chile, and Switzerland. Following Pakistan's decision, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) will now decide whether to include another team in their place or to modify the group structure.
Decision Taken After Consulting the Government
The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) made this decision after consulting with the government and officially informed the International Hockey Federation (FIH). Subsequently, FIH will also inform Hockey India. This marks the second hockey tournament in India from which Pakistan has withdrawn. Earlier, they had also pulled out of the Men's Asia Cup held in Rajgir, Bihar.
PHF Secretary Rana Mujahid confirmed, stating, "The current circumstances are not favorable. The recent Asia Cup cricket tournament demonstrated that anti-Pakistan sentiments are very intense in India. Our players and their players did not shake hands after the match and also did not lift the trophy. A senior PHF official stated that this decision was made after consultation with the Pakistan government and the Sports Board.
The government informed us that sending the team to India would be risky from a security perspective given the existing political tensions. Therefore, we decided not to send the team. We understand that this is a significant loss for the junior team, but amidst such negative sentiments, this decision is correct and sensible.
Pakistan's Previous Strategy
Pakistan had also withdrawn from the Asia Cup Hockey tournament in August, with Bangladesh taking their place. Consequently, Pakistan failed to qualify for next year's Junior World Cup. The Pakistan junior team recently played against India in the Sultan of Johor Cup (Malaysia), which ended in a 3-3 draw.
Both teams had high-fived before the match. The junior team had been preparing for the World Cup for the past year and had played three international series. However, they will now be unable to participate in the tournament.
