Pakistan to play in Asian Champions Trophy hockey in India, Punjab CM
India-Pakistan clash on Nov 1 in Jalandhar expected to be one of the biggest attractions
Pakistan will be among the six teams competing in next month’s Men’s Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament in Punjab, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said, citing the Union government’s policy allowing India and Pakistan to participate in multi-national sporting events on Indian soil.
The tournament, scheduled from October 27 to November 5, will feature hosts India, Pakistan, China, Japan, Malaysia and Korea. The league-stage matches will be played in Jalandhar, while the semi-finals and final will be held in Mohali.
Oman and Bangladesh have been named as reserve teams in case any of the participating nations withdraw.
The Asian Champions Trophy, organised under the Asian Hockey Federation, is an annual competition but was not held last year. India enter the tournament as defending champions after winning the title in 2023 in Chennai and retaining it in 2024 in Hulunbuir, China.
“There is no problem in multi-national tournaments. Maybe individual series between India and Pakistan cannot take place,” Mann said when asked whether Pakistan’s participation had received the necessary clearances.
Full support
Mann also assured full support for the tournament and said Punjab was committed to successfully hosting the event for the first time in the state.
The India-Pakistan clash on November 1 in Jalandhar is expected to be one of the biggest attractions of the tournament. The match will also coincide with Punjab Day.
“India and Pakistan may have their rivalries on the hockey field, but sport has its own language,” Mann said.
“For hockey lovers, the India-Pakistan match is not about hatred. It is about the passion of hockey, the roar of the spectators and the beauty of sport,” he added.
Hockey India secretary general Bhola Nath Singh, who was also present at Monday’s event, said relations between the hockey federations of the two countries remained strong.
“I want to say this on record that we share very good relations between the hockey federations of India and Pakistan,” Singh said.
