Pakistan and Japan, the finalists of last year’s Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament, have been surprisingly excluded from this year’s edition, raising questions about the selection process.
The exclusion comes despite Pakistan’s impressive performance in the previous tournament, where they reached the final and secured a silver medal, earning significant recognition at the government level.
This year, the prestigious tournament is set to take place in Ipoh from November 22, but according to an FIH post, Pakistan is not among the invited teams. PHF sources have confirmed that the organizers have not sent any invitation to the federation. Adding to the surprise, Japan, the team that defeated Pakistan in the final to claim gold last year, has also been left out of the competition.
Meanwhile, the teams confirmed to participate in the tournament include Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Canada, India, and Malaysia, making Pakistan and Japan’s absence even more puzzling.
