September 19, 2007	Wednesday	Ramazan 06, 1428

LAHORE, Sept 18: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Secretary Khalid Mahmood on Tuesday said that Pakistan would take part in the Champions Trophy despite its moving to another country.

The event was shifted by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) from Pakistan, last week, on security grounds. It would now either be held in India or Malaysia.

Speaking to Dawn, Khalid said the FIH had informed the PHF that being ranked fifth in the event, Pakistan would be a part of the Champions Trophy to be held from Dec 1 to 9.

Khalid said that although the PHF and the fans of the game were disgruntled over the change of venue from Lahore of this prestigious event, it would not be wise to boycott it in any kind of protest. “For us, participating in the Trophy will help Pakistan in improving its ranking and getting useful experience. We are not considering the financial losses as a result of the shift from Lahore but we were expecting a revival of the game in Pakistan by holding the event as the game gets a new lease when people come to the stadium to see international matches,” he said.

Though Spain is the third candidate for holding the event, the cold weather in the European countries during December has reduced its chance of getting the hosting rights. There are reports of Malaysia’s offering free accommodation and transport to all the participating teams if it is chosen to host the event.