International Hockey Federation (FIH) President Tayyab Ikram on Tuesday said that if it were in his hands, he would resume bilateral hockey between India and Pakistan tomorrow as it would strengthen the game. Bilateral hockey between India and Pakistan has been stopped for 18 years. FIH President Ikram told PTI, “The bilateral series is not in the hands of FIH. This decision is taken by the federation after consultation with the government. As an FIH representative, I respect his decision.
The last series was played in 2006
Pakistan-born Ikram said, “If it were in our hands, we would have started the bilateral series between India and Pakistan tomorrow itself.” This is good for both the countries and for world hockey.” The last bilateral series between the two countries was played in 2006 in which Pakistan was victorious 3-1. After this, due to political tension between the two countries, they face each other only in international tournaments. Ikram is certain to be elected president unopposed in the 49th Congress of FIH to be held in Muscat on November 9. He believes that Pakistan hockey needs financial resources to return to its glorious past.
‘India is playing its role in every respect’
He said, “I don’t think the level of Pakistani hockey has dropped. It’s all a matter of lack of resources. I feel bad for the players. It is a strong team but without a strong financial model you cannot build a high-performance structure.” He said, ”India is a strong partner and important stakeholder. I believe India is playing its role in every aspect including hosting global tournaments. Every National Olympic Committee is looking at India and China for a bigger market but our focus is on making this relationship more effective. Ikram said that FIH has kept a window for the Hockey India League resuming after seven years. Is. He said that this is the window between the last week of December to the first week of February.
