The Olympic qualifying competition that Pakistan was set to host has been cancelled by the International Hockey Federation. The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) was informed of this decision by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), which cited non-cooperation and involvement in PHF business as its main justifications. PHF tweeted this on Tuesday.
The announcement follows the suspension of PHF by the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), which mandated new elections in August. The men’s team’s whole coaching staff was subsequently fired just before the Asian Games by an ad hoc commission that the PSB created. This was carried out following the third term of PHF President Brigadier (Retd) Khalid Sajjad Khokar’s election in 2022, which the PSB refused to acknowledge and ratify. The Olympic hockey qualifiers will be held in China, Pakistan, and Spain, the FIH said in July. Both the men’s and women’s competitions at Paris 2024 will have twelve teams apiece. Five additional teams will qualify as champions of continental championships, in India’s case the Asian Games, while France has already qualified as hosts. The Olympic qualifiers will be used to fill the remaining six berths.