LAHORE - Pakistan Hockey Federation’s (PHF) two-member delegation comprising its president Qasim Zia and secretary Asif Bajwa left for Malaysia here on Tuesday to attend FIH executive board meeting being held in Kula Lumpur from November 1-4.
Talking to the reporters before his departure, Bajwa said: “We are going to attend a number of meetings and the most important thing is election of FIH president and its two executive board members.”
He said he would be meeting with the authorities of the Hockey India to finalise the details of bilateral hockey series between the two countries. “Now the stage comes to finalise all the important matters relating to the holding of the series in March-April next year and we are confident to make an announcement in this regard after the meeting,” said the PHF secretary. He said the more Pak-India play on regular basis the better it would be for the cause of the game in sub-continent.
He said Pakistan would be presenting its recommendations during the FIH marketing committee meeting as asked by the games ruling body. “We have given our input on having 20 teams in the next World Cup as the FIH asked our opinion in this regard. The idea of having maximum teams in the World Cup is to make it a big event and to ensure the participation of those upcoming teams which are making gradual progress in the game,” he said.
He said next year was very important for Pak hockey as its team would be playing the qualifying rounds for the World Cup besides appearing in the Asia Cup. To a query, Bajwa said: “Pakistan could not organise the international hockey events allocated to it due to security concerns and the most recent example was the postponement of the indoor Asia Cup at Islamabad. But the PHF is very concerned and making efforts for the return of international hockey and whenever such an opportunity comes it will avail it.”