Youth Olympics qualifiers: PHF to hold 5-a-side event in early April to select team

KARACHI: Pakistan will participate in the qualifying round for Youth Olympics in Thailand in late April.

The PHF will organise a Hockey-5 competition in the first week of April in Lahore or Rawalpindi to select the team for the qualifying round, ‘The News’ has learnt. A nine-player team will be selected for the qualifying round. Sources mentioned that the Youth Olympics would include Hockey-5 competitions.

It is expected that the finalists of the qualifying round in Thailand will qualify for the Youth Olympics 2019.The team will be selected on the basis of performance in the one-week competition. From 10 to 12 teams would be established to participate in the event.

The sources said that these teams would comprise the 100 boys who were selected during the school championship in Khairpur last year as well as 30 to 35 of those between the ages of 15 and 17 who could not participate in that event for various reasons but have proven their talent on other occasions. The selected team for Thailand’s qualifying round will attend a training camp till the departure for Thailand.