Pakistan to play in Asian Champions Trophy hockey in Punjab: CM Mann

Chandigarh, September 14

Six teams, including India and Pakistan, will compete in the Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament in Punjab with the much anticipated India-Pakistan clash scheduled for November 1 at 7 pm in Jalandhar, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Monday. Punjab will host the men’s tournament for the first time from October 27 to November 5. Mann announced the details while releasing the tournament logo at a press conference in the presence of Asian Hockey Federation officials. League matches will be played in Jalandhar while the semi-finals and final will be held in Mohali.

The Punjab government has allocated ₹25.40 crore for the tournament including ₹22.96 crore to upgrade the two main venues. Of this, ₹14 crore will go towards the Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar and ₹8.96 crore towards the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali.Entry to all matches will be free, in a move aimed at encouraging young people and hockey fans to attend the tournament.

Sharing details, Mann said hosting the championship was a matter of pride for Punjab, which has a long association with Indian hockey. “Punjab and hockey are two sides of the same coin,” he said, highlighting the contribution of places such as Sansarpur, Khusropur and Mithapur to Indian hockey.

The chief minister said Punjab had produced more than 50 Olympic medallists and 10 national captains, including Balbir Singh Senior, Udham Singh and Ajit Pal Singh.He also pointed to Punjab’s contribution to the Indian team at the Paris 2024 Olympics where 10 players from the state represented India with Harmanpreet Singh leading the side.

Mann said the tournament would be more than an international sporting event for Punjab and described it as a homecoming for a sport that had produced generations of players from the state.India, Pakistan, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and China will compete in the tournament, while Oman and Bangladesh will be the reserve teams, according to the chief minister.

He said the India-Pakistan match on Punjab Day would be one of the tournament’s biggest attractions.Mann said the participation of Pakistan would add to the significance of the championship and said the event should reflect the spirit of sporting competition, with intense rivalry on the field and mutual respect beyond it. In a post on X, Mann urged people to attend the matches in large numbers and cheer for the participating teams.