KARACHI, 12 January 2007 — Pakistani and Indian hockey officials are planning to put off their bilateral hockey series scheduled to be played in March because of the cricket World Cup, a Pakistan Hockey Federation official said on Wednesday.
“The cricket World Cup is a huge event and we don’t think it would be the right time for us to hold a hockey series when the people in both Pakistan and India would be busy watching cricket,” PHF Secretary Akhtarul Islam told Arab News’ here in an interview.
PHF and the Indian Hockey Federation had planned to hold the eight-match Test series on a home-and-away basis during March and April. According to the proposed plan, Pakistan were to host the first four Tests in March followed by the second leg of the series in India in April.
But after having worked out the details of the series, the Indian officials realized that sports fans on either side of the border would be completely occupied by the cricket World Cup and may not find any time for hockey matches.
More importantly, it was the shortage of sponsorship that has forced them to think about rescheduling the series as most business houses in India have already devoted their publicity budget in the World Cup.
“We were recently contacted by the Indian officials who wanted to know whether the series could be held after the World Cup,” said Akhtar, a former Olympian. “We think they have a point because it would be an exercise in futility if we hold the series during the World Cup,” he added.
Akhtar said that Pakistani and Indian officials would not meet in Kuala Lumpur next week to discuss the issue.
“If we decide to postpone the series then the new schedule would be decided in our meeting in Kuala Lumpur,” said Akhtar. The two parties would meet in the Malaysian capital on the sidelines of the Asian Hockey Federation elections scheduled to take place on Jan. 14.
Hockey was once the most popular sport in Pakistan and India but has lost its gloss over the last couple of decades following a major dip in the two countries performance at the international arena.
Officials in Pakistan and India have been trying to lift the sport through various steps, which include the holding of the bilateral series every year. However, Test matches between the two countries have failed to raise much interest among the public as well as potential sponsors.
“Marketing hockey is really a tough job because everybody is interested in putting money in cricket these days,” said Akhtar, whose PHF has been facing a financial crisis in recent months.
However, he said that the PHF would make efforts to raise funds for hockey and added that the Test series against India should be profitable for the PHF.
Akhtar said that if the series is postponed then it would most likely begin early May, immediately after the World Cup final.
