Daily Times

LAHORE: Regarding Oman junior team’s visit as significant in reviving international hockey in Pakistan, a spokesman for the Pakistan Hockey Federation on Tuesday hoped more foreign teams would be touring the country. “The visit of Oman’s Under-18 squad has broken the deadlock over the return of international hockey to Pakistan. “After the Oman series we now look forward to hosting Argentina’s junior team in December this year and Chinese senior team early next year,” the spokesman added. The PHF official was upbeat about the return of international hockey to Pakistan after the visit of Oman’s U-18 squad, terming the series with the Gulf nation’s team a lifeline for hockey at home. “During the past several years our hockey suffered badly due to the foreign teams’ refusal to tour Pakistan. However, the visit of Oman’s U-18 team is a positive sign for Pakistan hockey as the series will motivate other foreign teams too to tour Pakistan in due course of time,” he added. He said Argentina’s junior team would arrive in the first week of December to play a three-match series against their Pakistan counterparts, prior to the greenshirts’ participation in the December 8-18 Junior World Cup in Lucknow, India. “The Argentine teams visit will be followed by the tour of China’s senior team in early 2017.” He said the PHF was making all possible efforts to ensure the return of international hockey to Pakistan, adding in this regard it had already started the process of sending invitations to a number of Asian hockey nations to visit Pakistan.