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With Asian Champions Trophy, Punjab to host its first international hockey tournament
Punjab will host the Asian Champions Trophy in October, with matches scheduled in Mohali and Jalandhar, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced.
CM Bhagwant Mann said, “The Asian games will conclude on October 3-4 and the top six performing hockey teams will vie in this Asian games."
Punjab will host its first-ever international hockey tournament with the Asian Champions Trophy, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Tuesday.
Addressing a press conference to present his government’s sports report card under the “Shandaar Char Saal Bhagwant Mann de naal”, the CM said, “The Asian games will conclude on October 3-4 and the top six performing hockey teams will vie in this Asian games. For the first time Punjab has got the opportunity to hold this international event and it is a big achievement in the field of sports”.
Apart from this another international event in the form of a four-nation invitation tournament has been approved for the state which will give a boost to hockey in the state, Mann further said.
“Despite strong Punjabi representation, Punjab had never hosted a major hockey tournament until now. For the first time, Punjab will host the Asian Champions Trophy in October. It is Asia’s most prestigious hockey tournament.”
Matches will be held at Balbir Singh Senior Hockey Stadium in Mohali and Surjit Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar.
The CM said after 40 years, Punjab has also been awarded hosting rights for the National Badminton Championship (under-13). The tournaments will be held in October-November at Mohali and Jalandhar grounds, with six teams including India participating.
Stating that the AAP government’s ‘Khed Kranti’ (sports revolution) is fundamentally reshaping the sports sector, Mann said the initiative has led to major investments and on-ground expansion. He highlighted a rise in the sports budget from Rs 350 crore to Rs 1,791 crore, an increase in the number of coaches from 500 to 2,458, and direct financial support of Rs 15 lakh for Olympic preparation and Rs 8 lakh for Asian Games athletes.
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Detailing the scale of this push, the Chief Minister pointed to the development of 3,100 playgrounds, 3,000 gyms, distribution of 17,000 sports kits, and the rapid expansion of “Khedan Watan Punjab Dian”, where participation has grown from 1.5 lakh to 5 lakh players.
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