KARACHI, July 10: Pakistan might have to withdraw from an international junior tournament in Hong Kong next month because of the clash of dates with a major youth competition at home.

According to sources in the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF), the national team which was expected to compete in the Hong Kong Junior Open is now likely to stay home and compete in the Chief of Air Staff Open (CAS) National Junior Championship in Peshawar.

The PSF had earlier decided to send a five-member team to Hong Kong for the Junior Championship scheduled to be held there from Aug 6 to 9.

British Open junior champion Safeer Khan, who is also the reigning national under-19 champion, was expected to lead the team that was to include most of the leading junior players of the country.

The PSF decision to send its leading players for the Hong Kong Junior Open was made after receiving reports that the event is likely to attract most of the highest-ranked players of the world youth circuit.

The tournament was planned by the Hong Kong squash officials to compensate for the cancellation of the US$10,000 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open, one of the leading event of the international professional circuit. The Hong Kong Open, which is held on an annual basis every August and attracts all the big names of the world circuit, was cancelled earlier this year because of the SARS outbreak in the region.

For the Junior event, the Hong Kong officials had invited top players from all parts of the world including Pakistan who are the current world junior squash champions.

But now the PSF official are likely to drop the plans because of the dates of the Hong Kong event clash with the Rs300,000 CAS National Junior Championship to be held from Aug 4 to 9.—PPI