Pakistan receive formal invitation to join Hockey Pro League

Lausanne: After Hockey New Zealand notified the International Hockey Federation (FIH) of their decision not to participate in the next FIH Hockey Pro League Men’s season despite having won the FIH Hockey Nations Cup last month, FIH has, in accordance with the regulations, extended an invitation to the Nations Cup runners-up Pakistan, to join the 2025-26 Pro League edition.

The Pakistan Hockey Association has been given a deadline till August 12 to inform FIH of their decision to accept or deny the invitation, the FIH informed in a statement on Wednesday.

The 2024-25 FIH Hockey Pro League crowned both Dutch teams, Women’s and Men’s, as champions. The upcoming season will be the seventh one of the “League of the Best”.

New Zealand, which was at one time ranked as high as No.5 in the FIH World Rankings, has slipped to No.12 in the latest list. The sport, which used to get a lot of support from the New Zealand government, is not receiving similar support post-COVID-19 pandemic.

Winner of the Olympic gold medal in the 1978 Games in Montreal, New Zealand had finished ninth in the Tokyo Olympic Games but slipped to 12th in Paris last year. IANS

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