Hockey: Pakistan gets govt nod to be in India for Asia Cup and Junior World Cup

NEW DELHI, July 3: Pakistan’s hockey teams will not be stopped from competing in next month’s Asia Cup and the subsequent junior World Cup in India as any move to block the arch-foes from multi-lateral competitions in the country would be a violation of the Olympic Charter, a sports ministry source said on Thursday.
While the Asia Cup is scheduled to be held in Rajgir, Bihar from August 27 to September 7, the junior World Cup will be organised in Chennai and Madurai from November 28 to December 10.
“We are not against any team competing in India in a multi-national competition. If we try to stop Pakistan it would be seen as a violation of the Olympic Charter. Likewise, we will also show up for any multi-national event that features Pakistan. But bilateral is different and there will be no relaxation on that front,” the source said.
The ministry’s decision also clears the decks for Pakistani participation in the junior World Cup of shooting, scheduled here in September, and the World Para-Athletics Championships, also in the national capital in September-October.
The Charter is akin to the constitution of the Olympic movement and stresses on sport as a tool for promoting international peace and cooperation.
As a result, any attempt to block a rival country from a multi-national event adversely impacts the host country’s prospects of getting future hosting rights.
When asked whether this means India will be allowed to play against Pakistan in the Asia Cup of cricket in September, the source said, “The BCCI is yet to reach out to the ministry on this. We will address this query when they approach us.” Speculation is rife that India and Pakistan will play each other in a round robin match during the continental tournament, which is set to be held in the UAE or Sri Lanka even though the original host is India.
India and Pakistan have been avoiding bilateral sporting engagements after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks but even multi-lateral face-offs were in doubt after the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 tourists were gunned down in April.
In May, India retaliated with Operation Sindoor, targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan, leading to a tense military showdown that de-escalated on Pakistan’s request for a ceasefire.
“International sports demands that we cannot back out from competing in multi-national competitions. Take for instance, Russia and Ukraine, they are at war but they show up at multi-national events and compete as well. That’s the norm and we are respecting these norms,” the source said.
“We have informed Hockey India about this decision,” he added.
Hockey India (HI) welcomed the ministry’s call.
“We welcome government’s decision. Our stance from the beginning was that whatever the government decides, we will abide by that. There is no other argument in that,” HI secretary general Bhola Nath Singh said.
GOOD DECISION, SAYS HOCKEY INDIA PRESIDENT
Former Indian hockey captain and Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey on Thursday welcomed the government’s decision to allow the Pakistani team to participate in the upcoming multi-nation tournaments in India, though he said he was yet to get an official confirmation from the sports ministry.
A ministry source said on Thursday that Pakistan’s hockey teams will not be stopped from competing in next month’s Asia Cup and the subsequent Junior World Cup in India as any move to block the arch-foes from multilateral competitions in the country would be a violation of the Olympic Charter.
While the Asia Cup is scheduled in Rajgir, Bihar from August 27 to September 7, the Junior World Cup will be organised in Chennai and Madurai from November 28 to December 10.
“We have not received official information yet and I am also hearing this from the media. But if the government has given approval, then it is a very good decision for hockey,” Tirkey said.
“India is going to host two important tournaments. The Asia Cup will be held in Rajgir and the Junior World Cup in Chennai and Madurai, and Pakistan is one of the participating countries,” said the veteran full back, who was called “the wall of Indian Hockey” in his playing days.
A former Rajya Sabha MP from the Biju Janata Dal, Tirkey also said that hockey matches between India and Pakistan are good for the promotion of the game because people love to watch the Asian giants play against each other.
“This is good publicity for the game and it will also be good for the success of the tournament,” he said.
“We are making our preparations. After the recent tensions between the two countries, this will probably be the first visit of any team from Pakistan to India, so tight security measures will be put in place accordingly,” he said.He added that there has been no talk with the Pakistan Hockey Federation at the moment with regard to the participation of their teams.
“There is no recent communication but obviously they are a participant country and we will communicate once the picture is clear,” he said.Recalling the India-Pakistan hockey matches during his playing days, Tirkey said that despite the on-field rivalry, there used to be camaraderie among the players.
“When I started, our team had legends like Pargat Singh, Dhanraj Pillay and the Pakistani team had stars like Shahbaz Senior, Tahir Zaman, after which players like Sohail Abbas, Wasim Ahmed, Shakeel Abbasi came. There was great rivalry between the two teams on the field but there was friendship off the field,” he said. (PTI)