Hockey C’ship draws announcement soon

KARACHI: The preparation for the 62nd national hockey championship is in full swing these days at HCP, where it will be held from December 25 to January 10, ‘The News’ learnt on Monday.

Kamran Ashraf, the chief coordinator of the championship, said that blue turf installation had been completed and final touches were being given to it. The participating teams in the championship would play on it on experimental basis in one or two days. The staff started watering it on Monday, he said.

The RO plant room has been constructed and machines would be installed in two or three days, Kamran said.

He said that the director tournament Olympian Qamar Ibrahim and organising secretary Farooq Khan would address a press conference soon at HCP in which draws of the championship and logo would be made public.

He said that new seats had been set up at the VIP gallery and broken chairs at the public gallery have been replaced.

He said that the organising committee was confident that quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final would be held under flood lights.

Kamran said that twenty teams would participate in the championship, fifteen departments and five regions.

He added that four provincial teams and that of Islamabad would stay at a hotel.

The umpires and other technical officials would stay at HCP hostel rooms.

It was also learnt that a delegation of industrialists would visit the venue on Tuesday to review the arrangements for the championship and meet the PHF officials. It is expected to provide financial help to PHF.