Kabul Hockey Tournament Opens With 36 Provincial Squad Places at Stake
A two-day hockey selection tournament involving nine teams has begun in Kabul, with 36 players set to be chosen for three representative squads. Ustad Shah Mahmood Shaheed opened the competition with a 5–4 victory over Khalid bin Walid.
A two-day hockey selection tournament has begun in Kabul, bringing together nine teams from local clubs and educational institutions to identify players for three representative squads.
The competition opened on Saturday, October 17, at the 500-seat gymnasium of Afghanistan's national sports administration.
Four hockey clubs and five teams representing educational institutions are participating in the event, which is being organised by the National Hockey Federation and the Directorate for Sports Development in Madrasas, Schools and Universities, in coordination with the Kabul Provincial Department of Physical Education and Sports.
The tournament will determine the selection of 36 players across three groups, making it an opportunity for emerging hockey players to progress into organised representative teams.
According to the General Directorate of Physical Education and Sports (GDPS), 12 players will be selected for an adolescent squad and another 12 for a youth squad from the five educational-institution teams.
A further 12 players will be chosen from the four club teams for Kabul's selected hockey squad.
The opening match produced a closely contested result, with Ustad Shah Mahmood Shaheed defeating Khalid bin Walid 5–4.
The one-goal margin provided an early competitive start to the tournament, which is scheduled to run for two days.
The opening ceremony was attended by Qari Hayatullah Rahmani, a sports adviser to the national sports administration; Abdullah Mayar Nooristani, president of the National Hockey Federation; and Mawlawi Naqib Ahmad Ulfat, head of the Directorate for Sports Development in Madrasas, Schools and Universities.
Sports officials, athletes and media representatives were also present.
Organisers said the tournament was designed to identify promising players and support the development of hockey.
By combining educational-institution teams with established clubs, the competition provides separate selection opportunities for younger players and those seeking places in Kabul's representative squad.
The final list of selected players had not been announced in the information provided at the tournament's opening.
