LAHORE: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) continued to function at its headquarters here at the National Hockey Stadium here on Thursday despite Pakistan Sports Board’s decision to suspend its all officials on the instructions of the Prime Minister’s Office last Wednesday.

PSB director general Shoaib Khoso said on Thursday the national team’s preparations for international events would not be affected by the suspension of PHF office-bearers.

A notification issued by the PSB about the suspension of the hockey federation’s office-bearers had created doubts about holding of the camp for the Asian Games but the PSB director general clarified that as the team management and selection committee were intact, the preparation of the national outfit for the Sept 23-Oct 8 Games in Hangzhou, China would not be affected.

Around 35 probables and ten officials are set to attend the one-month training camp, starting on Sunday at the Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium in Islamabad to prepare the national team for the Games, which also serve as qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Since the PHF office-bearers are elected by its general council, the PSB decision to suspend them with one stroke seems a bit controversial.

Though the media tried its best to get PHF’s reaction on the subject, no official was willing to offer any comment on PSB’s decision to suspend them.

However, an official on the condition of anonymity told Dawn that it was not the first time the PSB took such a decision, noting in the past first it made the PHF defunct, then a few months ago it de-notified the federation and now it had suspended its officials.

More interestingly, according to the official, despite de-notifying and declaring the PHF defunct the PSB gave financial support to the same body and recently it also issued the NOC for Pakistan senior team’s participation in the Asian Champions Trophy held in Chennai earlier this month.

Welcoming the PSB decision of starting the audit of PHF accounts from August 2015 to 2022, the official said the move would help make all those officials who had looted the PHF funds, accountable.

It may be mentioned here that on June 8 this year, the PSB issued an order regarding special audit of the PHF accounts (from August 2015 to 2022), but so far the order has not been implemented.

Moreover, the PSB in the past had interfered in the Pakistan Olympic Association’s affairs and those of national sports federations, which in some cases brought Pakistan very close to suspension from respective international sports governing bodies.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2023