The senior men's National hockey tournament seems to have run into a jinx. The organisers on Wednesday postponed the event, scheduled in Pune next month, due to swine flu.
"The senior men's Nationals have been postponed due to the prevailing H1N1 conditions. The new dates shall be announced when conditions become normal there," Hockey India said.
The National Championship, last held in Jalandhar three years back, was scheduled to be staged in Pune from September 13 to 27 under the aegis of the Maharashtra Hockey Association.
Hockey India secretary-general Mohd Aslam said with the situation looking grim in Pune, the epicentre of the pandemic, there was no question of hosting the event there.
"The position is very bad in Pune. Everyday there are reports of new cases emerging. In such circumstances, we cannot take the risk of exposing the players to the virus by conducting the tournament," Aslam added.