LAHORE, Jan 20 Eight matches will be played on the first day of the 56th national hockey championship, which begins at the National Hockey Stadium from Wednesday.

Defending champions, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will open the campaign with a match against Sui Gas.

The 19 teams competing in the 18-day event have been divided into five pools. The Pakistan Hockey Federation had invited 23 teams but only 19 confirmed their entry.

Organising secretary of the championship, Rana Mujahid Ali said that Customs, POF Wah, Higher Education Commission and Allied Bank Limited (ABL) did not send their teams.

In Pool `A` PIA, Sui Gas, Balochistan and PTV are included while pool `B` comprises National Bank of Pakistan, NWFP, Karachi Electric Supply Corporation and Railways. Army, Habib Bank Limited (HBL) and Pakistan Air Force (PAF) are in pool `C`. Pool `D` has Wapda, Pakistan Steel Mills, Sindh and Navy while Police, Port Qasim, Punjab and Capital Territory make up pool `E`. Eight matches will be played daily on both pitches of National Hockey Stadium.

The members of the national selection committee will also observe the matches and at the end they will shortlist the best players for the national training camp.

Rana Mujahid, further pointed out that that PHF had changed the format of the national event as now the teams will play the preliminary round on single league basis. Top 10 teams will qualify for the final round, while the rest of the nine teams will play a tray championship, simultaneously.

Two top teams in the tray championship will qualify directly for next year`s final round. Similarly, the last two teams of this year`s final round will be relegated to the tray round next year.

The decision, he said was taken to provide maximum number of matches to the players to remain active.

Meanwhile, a high performance coaching course will also be run in conjunction with the national championship from Sunday.

National-level coaches will attend the course. Another course for development coaches will take place from Feb 3. PHF Hockey Academies` coaches will attend it. Chairman FIH Coaching Group Tayyab Ikram and PHF foreign consultant Wouter Tazelaar will be the course conductor of both courses.

Wednesday`s schedule

Balochistan vs. PTV 0900am; KESC vs. Navy; 0900am; Army vs. HBL 1100am; Sindh vs. Navy 1100am; Police vs. Punjab 100pm; Port Qasim vs. Cap.T 100pm;

PIA vs. Sui Gas 0300pm; NBP vs. NWFP 300pm.