National Junior Hockey C’ship in March

KARACHI: National junior hockey championship 2023 would be organised in March in Karachi or Lahore, as Pakistan Hockey Federations (PHF) has sent reminders to all its affiliated units to start preparation for the championship, 'The News' has learnt.

The championship has been delayed for past two years due to one or the other reason.

The sources in the PHF hoped that all its departmental units would participate in the championship, as it is an important event on the domestic hockey calendar.

Sources in the PHF expected that Army, Navy, Pakistan Air Force, WAPDA, NBP, Mari Petroleum Company (MPCL), SSGC, Port Qasim Authority (PQA), Pakistan police, and a couple of other teams would participate in the championship.

PM Shahbaz Sharif government a couple of months ago lifted the ban on the participation of departmental sports teams in the domestic competitions and ordered departments to establish teams in at least three disciplines, especially hockey, and participate in the domestic sports competitions.

The sources said that the junior championship would be organised after the Qalandars hockey series of which two matches would be played in February in Karachi and three in Lahore. Then the junior championship would be held in March in Karachi or Lahore.