December 06, 2007	Thursday	Ziqa'ad 25, 1428

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5: Pakistan cannot stage the Champions Trophy until 2011, International Hockey Federation (FIH) president Els van Breda Vriesman said on Wednesday.

“The Champions Trophy has already been allocated till 2010 and we cannot take it away from other countries,” the FIH president said.

“I cannot say for sure when Pakistan will stage it next,” she said adding that it was up to their sponsors to pick the tournament on four-year basis.

Vriesman said the next three Champions Trophy events had already been allocated to different countries.

When pointed out that it had been decided at the time of the introduction of the event that it would be held in Pakistan every alternate year, she said the rules had been changed.

“The Champions Trophy can go to Pakistan only when we and our sponsors would desire,” she asserted.

“I really hope that political situation in Pakistan would improve,” she maintained.

It may be mentioned here that the FIH had shifted the event from Lahore to Kuala Lumpur after Olympic champions Australia and Korea pulled out due to security fears.

Vriesman stated that the federation would not compensate Pakistan’s financial losses which they suffered due to shifting of the event.

“They should ensure that the event be taken place in their country to avoid financial losses,” she argued.

“When the conditions get stable, our people will visit the country to assess the situation before handing the trophy to Pakistan,” the FIH president promised.

She said that she had not been to Pakistan for nearly two years otherwise she would go to Pakistan in every one or two years.

“As we have hockey revival project in India, we would like to take up the same project in Pakistan,” Vriesman remarked.

Earlier, speaking at a reception in a local hotel on Tuesday, the FIH chief lauded the services and contribution of Pakistan in hockey.

She said: “We are grateful to Pakistan that they initiated the Champions Trophy which is now our most precious tournament,” she recalled.

“It is unfortunate that circumstances lead us to take away the event from Pakistan. But we think it belongs to Pakistan and we and our sponsors like to have it in Pakistan,” she said.

She defended the decision, “We think we have taken the right decision because it is not possible to stage the event in Pakistan under the current circumstances.”

She also lauded the Malaysian Hockey Federation for holding the Champions Trophy on a short notice.—Agencies