The Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) on Wednesday mentioned it can conduct the Olympic qualifiers independently if the postponed Hangzhou Asian Games shouldn’t be held by September subsequent 12 months.
The Asian Games, initially scheduled to be held from September 10 to 25 this 12 months, has been postponed indefinitely earlier this month because of the worsening pandemic state of affairs in China. The new dates might be determined in future.
But AHF’s chief government officer Tayyab Ikram mentioned the Asian hockey physique is carefully monitoring the state of affairs and is in common session with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).
“The Asian Games is an Olympic qualifier for the continent, however we nonetheless have sufficient time in hand. If the Asian Games Games are postponed to September 2023, we might be in the identical place to conduct the qualifiers.
“We are closely monitoring the developments,” he mentioned throughout a digital press convention forward of the lads’s Asia Cup, to be held in Jakarta.
“We do have a plan b, an impartial Olympic qualifier event for Asia if the Asian Games are postponed past September 2023. We wish to present truthful alternative and even platform to our gamers. But we now have to see the feasibility. We are very constructive at this stage.
“The pandemic in China is much more in a precautionary level now… we are closely monitoring the situation there. We will implement plan b if required.” Asked if there may be any timeframe to fall again on plan b, Ikram mentioned: “For us it is vitally clear if the choice is that Asian Games might be held in September 2023 or earlier than, clearly the OCA has to make that call, if that occurs it is positive or else we should implement plan b. I’m not too involved concerning the first half of 2023.”
The Hangzhou Asian Games is of excessive worth for the hockey groups of the continent as Olympic berths are at stake in each males’s and girls’s occasions. The winners will earn direct proper to compete on the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Meanwhile, the Asia Cup in Jakarta from May 23 to June 1 is a World Cup qualifier.
Being the hosts, India have secured a direct entry in subsequent 12 months’s World Cup however the Olympic bronze medalists would look to defend their title within the Asia Cup.
India will open their marketing campaign towards arch-rivals Pakistan on the opening day of the event.
,
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
