Asian Games 2018: Pakistan hockey team ends protest, to compete in Jakarta

Islamabad, August 2: Pakistan has averted a potential 2018 Asian Games boycott by its hockey players after the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) gave assurances that overdue daily allowances would be paid in full before the multi-sports event begins in Indonesia on August 18.

The Pakistan men's team are the most successful at the Asian Games with eight gold medals but players had threatened to skip the upcoming edition after not being paid their allowances for the last six months.

However, captain Mohammad Rizwan Senior confirmed that PHF President Khalid Sajjad Khokar had assured him unpaid allowances would be cleared before the Games and therefore the players would end their protest.

"We will clear all dues before going to Asian Games," Khokar was quoted as saying by local media. "Unfortunately, our grant was stopped due to certain unknown reason.

"If we don't get the money I will pay the players through my own means."

(With inputs from Agencies).