New Delhi: Pakistan has pulled out of the Junior Hockey World Cup to be held in India in November-December, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) confirmed to PTI on Friday.
FIH said Pakistan’s replacement team for the November 28-December 10 event, to be held in Chennai and Madurai, will be announced soon.
“We can confirm that the Pakistan Hockey Federation has notified the International Hockey Federation (FIH) that its team initially qualified for the upcoming FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025 won’t participate eventually,” FIH said in a statement released to PTI.
“The team replacing Pakistan for this event will be announced soon,” the statement added.
Pakistan were placed in Group B alongside India, Chile, and Switzerland and it remains to be seen which team replaces them.
This is the second event in India that Pakistan has pulled out from after the men’s Asia Cup in Rajgir, Bihar held from August 29 to September 7 this year.
The sporting ties between India and Pakistan have deteriorated since the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and India’s subsequent Operation Sindoor.
The Indian government recently announced a new policy under which it will not engage in bilateral sporting contests with Pakistan but will continue to compete against them in multi-nation tournaments.
During the recent Asia Cup, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav had refused to shake hands with his Pakistan counterpart.