LAHORE: National hockey team will take part in the upcoming Asian Games scheduled to be held in South Korea in September this year.

The decision in this regard has been taken in the executive body meeting of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) held under the chairmanship of Inter-provincial Minister Riaz Hussain Pirzada.

The government has decided to even allow the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) to make contact with Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) chief retired Lt Gen Arif Hassan, whose body is the only one in Pakistan recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Sources said that PHF secretary Rana Mujahid who attended this meeting raised the issue of sending the national team to the Asiad where Pakistan defend the title.

Furthermore, it is instructive to note that winners of the Asian Games will qualify for the next 2016 Games scheduled to be held in Brazil.

It is also important to note that the Inter-provincial Ministry is yet to recognise Arif-led POA with the former forming its own POA headed by Akram Sahi.

Nonetheless, Sahi-led POA despite all efforts has failed to field a single player in any sports gala held under the umbrella of the IOC with the IOC only recognising Arif-led POA.

Also, the PHF has also been following instructions of the government-backed PSB which is in conflict with the IOC-recognised Arif-led POA which has resulted in national team failure to even take part in the Commonwealth Games to be held in Scotland this year.

Keeping all this in mind, PHF decision to allow team to participate in the upcoming Asian Games is being welcomed in all quarters.

Meanwhile, the sources further said the step taken by the federal government is not enough and it must opt to contact Arif-led POA to abolish the controversial clauses from its national sports policy besides making PSB rules more in line with instructions of the IOC.