KARACHI: The Federal Government of Pakistan on Wednesday, ‘approved’ a budget of Rs250m for the national men’s Hockey team’s participation in the FIH Pro League.
According to the details, the government issued a total of Rs400m to provide funds to the sports federation. Out of the released amount, Rs250m was provided to the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) to ensure the national team’s participation in the Pro League.
Meanwhile, the remaining sum was allocated for the staging of the inaugural National Youth Games, scheduled to be held in Islamabad.
With the issuance of the fund, the PHF is likely to confirm its national team’s availability to the International Hockey Federation (FIH) for the Pro League soon, sources added.
The apex hockey federation, last month, formally invited the Pakistan men’s team to participate in the Pro League following New Zealand’s withdrawal from the tournament despite winning the Nations Cup.
Meanwhile, the PHF was given a deadline of August 12 to inform the apex federation of their decision to accept or deny the invitation.
However, the PHF had asked for an extension as they were in discussion with the government.
“Discussions with the government regarding the Pro League are ongoing, good news will come soon,” PHF President Tariq Bugti had said earlier this month.
“FIH had given a deadline of August 12 to inform, but we have requested an extension of the deadline until August 20,” he added.
The PHF President further opined that the Pro League participation will give the national team ample exposure, while also revealing that the federation had sent a budget of PKR 350 million to the government for clearance.
Atique ur Rehman is a senior reporter for Geo News.
