Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India] September 9 : In a major development for the upcoming Men's FIH Hockey Junior World Cup, Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh has confirmed that Pakistan will participate in the event.
The event will be hosted across Chennai and Madurai.
Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh confirmed tothat there is "no problem" and that Pakistan "will be coming" to India for the tournament.
He also affirmed that preparations are in their final stages and assured that the Junior World Cup will be organised on a grand scale.
"The World Cup is being held in Chennai and Madurai, with 24 countries participating. We are at the last stage of preparations, and this will be organised in a grand manner that will send a unique message across the world," he said.
On Monday, the highly anticipated match schedule for the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025 was announced in a ceremony that took place in Chennai.
The World Cup, which, for the very first time, will see participation from 24 teams from around the world, will be played in the cities of Chennai and Madurai in Tamil Nadu, India, from November 28 to December 10.
The ceremonytook place in the presence of FIH President Tayyab Ikram, Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Udhayanidhi Stalin; Atulya Misra (IAS), Additional Chief Secretary to the Government of Tamil Nadu, J. Meghanatha Reddy (IAS), Chief Executive Officer/Member Secretary of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT); Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey; Hockey India Secretary General Bholanath Singh; and Hockey India Treasurer Sekar J Manoharan.
Title holders Germany will take on South Africa for an opening match in Madurai.
The hosts, India, will start their Junior World Cup campaign against Chile in Chennai.
The pools for the competition were revealed earlier this year on 28 June as follows:
Pool A: Germany, South Africa, Canada, Ireland
Pool B: India, Pakistan, Chile, Switzerland
Pool C: Argentina, New Zealand, Japan, China
Pool D: Spain, Belgium, Egypt, Namibia
Pool E: Netherlands, Malaysia, England, Austria
Pool F: France, Australia, Korea, Bangladesh.
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