The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has released an amount of Rs23 million to the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) to help meet its financial obligations for the national team’s participation in the recently-held Asian Champions Trophy in China.

According to a PSB press release, the financial assistance comes as a “crucial support” to ensure the team’s performance and competitiveness at the international level.

Before the national outfit’s departure to China, the PHF top brass had revealed that the federation was suffering from a scarcity of funds and had to rely on loans to arrange the team’s participation in the coveted event. The federation, however, was assured that the board would reimburse the said amount.

The press release said the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) and PSB also released a special grant of Rs96.65m to the PHF in the last six months for participating in different international tournaments, reinforcing their commitment to the development of hockey.

It added that the financial support was yet another sign of the PSB’s “commitment to promoting hockey and fostering a competitive environment” for Pakistan’s athletes on the international stage.

In the Asian Champions Trophy semifinal, Pakistan conceded defeat in the penalty shootout against hosts China. However, they managed to make a podium finish, beating Korea 5-2 in the bronze-medal match.

Earlier, in the group match, they put up a valiant show against traditional rivals India but lost 1-2.