The Junior Hockey World Cup 2025, scheduled to be held in India from 28 November to 10 December in Chennai and Madurai, will now see Pakistan’s absence.
Initially, the Pakistan junior team had confirmed participation, as stated by Hockey India Secretary General Bholanath Singh, but the team has now pulled out, reflecting a contradictory stance.
“The Pakistan junior hockey team will not feature in the Hockey World Cup. In the current situation, we cannot travel to India,” president Tariq Bugti of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) told a Pakistani website at PHF headquarters in Lahore on Tuesday.
“Considering the tensions that we were having with India, it was totally impossible for us to go to India (for the Asia Cup). It was a war-like situation on both sides. So, in the current scenario, we can’t travel to India now or in the future. The situation is the same (presently). And, if the Indian cricket team can’t come here, then even the Pakistan hockey team won’t go to India,” Bugti was quoted as saying.
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Earlier, Pakistan also refused to participate in the 2025 Hockey Asia Cup in Rajgir, Bihar, citing security concerns.
Pakistan Hockey Federation President Tariq Bugti explained that due to ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan, it was impossible for the junior team to travel. He emphasized that just as the Indian cricket team faced restrictions in Pakistan, their hockey team cannot visit India under current conditions.
The 2025 Junior World Cup will feature 24 teams for the first time, divided into six groups. With Pakistan out, either 23 teams will compete, or another nation may be given a chance to take their spot, altering the tournament lineup.
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