Pakistan no longer to host 2024 Olympic qualifiers: FIH
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Lausanne: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Tuesday withdrew the hosting rights of one of the three Paris 2024 Olympic Qualifiers from Pakistan and will soon announce a new host.
Pakistan was to host the men's Olympic qualifiers in January next year in Lahore, along with China and Spain.
The withdrawal was due to issues related to the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF).
"FIH can confirm that it has informed the Pakistan Hockey Federation of its decision to withdraw the hosting of the Men’s FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier tournament - scheduled in January 2024 – from Pakistan. This is primarily due to the recent developments in the governance situation of the Federation,” the global hockey governing body said in a statement.
"A new host for this tournament will be announced shortly. The other qualifiers will be staged in China and Spain as announced in July," it added.
The top 3 teams in each of the three FIH Hockey Olympic Qualification Tournaments will qualify for Paris 2024. They will join hosts France as well as the winners of each Continental Championship (African Hockey Road to Paris, Pan American Games, Asian Games, EuroHockey Championship, and Oceania Cup).
Pakistan, ranked 15 in the world, will need to secure victory in the Asian Games or await confirmation of their participation in qualifying matches held elsewhere.
The Olympic qualifiers could have been the first major international hockey event in Pakistan since the Champions Trophy in 2004.
With inputs from IANS