ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): As tension between the two nuclear-weapon countries, Pakistan and India, grows, all related activities are disturbed, including sports activities.
According to the sources, due to the ongoing tensions, the Pakistani hockey team may not be granted visas to compete in the Men’s Asia Cup in 2025.
The competition is a crucial step towards earning a spot in the 2026 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup and is set to take place in Rajgir, India, in August and September of this year.
The sources claim that Pakistan’s visa denial follows a rise in diplomatic tensions between the two nations.
Pakistan’s chances of participating in the Men’s Hockey Asia Cup look bleak. Following the denial of visas to the Pakistani team by the Indian authorities, Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) has not issued any statements as to whether the tournament will continue as planned or be moved if the Pakistan team cannot participate.
The AHF has now opened a can of worms. This news hits Pakistan’s hockey team hard, who have participated in the Asia Cup 11 times (the most of any team), or at least were going to participate.
There are limited international opportunities for the players on the team, and now is just one more heavy stone in their travel bag.
The AHF prides itself on equality and equal opportunity for all teams, not political allegiances. The organizers of the tournament could only go ahead and calculate whether they need to accommodate a tournament format without Pakistan, or go ahead with their current tournament aims without a hockey superpower in attendance.
Politics alone has upset hockey in the subcontinent airways, and a situation without Pakistan in the tournament would be a big hole for the tournament and cause great disappointment to the hockey–loving people of the subcontinent as well as in hockey throughout Asia.
