Bhagwant Mann confirms Pakistan's participation in India-hosted Asian Champions Trophy

NEW DELHI: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has confirmed that Pakistan will participate in the upcoming Men’s Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament in India.

The tournament will be held from October 27 to November 5, with six teams, India, Pakistan, China, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea, set to compete.

Speaking about Pakistan’s participation, Mann said India’s policy permits the neighbouring country to take part in multinational sporting events, while bilateral series between the two countries remain restricted.

“There is no problem in multinational tournaments. Maybe individual series between India and Pakistan cannot take place,” Mann said when asked whether the necessary clearances had been obtained for Pakistan’s participation.

The Asian Champions Trophy will be staged across Jalandhar and Mohali, with the league-stage matches scheduled to take place in Jalandhar. The semi-finals and final will be played in Mohali.

Oman and Bangladesh have been named as reserve teams in case any of the participating sides withdraw from the competition.

The tournament is organised under the aegis of the Asian Hockey Federation and is traditionally held annually, although there was no edition last year.

India enter the competition as defending champions after winning the 2023 edition in Chennai before successfully retaining the title in 2024 in Hulunbuir, China.

India’s sports policy does not allow bilateral sporting engagements with Pakistan amid ongoing tensions between the two countries. However, the Sports Ministry has maintained that the two nations can compete against each other in multilateral events in accordance with the Olympic Charter.

Pakistan had withdrawn from the Junior World Cup hockey tournament in Tamil Nadu last year, citing heightened tensions following Operation Sindoor.

Mann assured full support for the hosting of the Asian Champions Trophy, saying Punjab was committed to successfully organising the tournament for the first time in the state.

Hockey India secretary general Bhola Nath Singh, who was also present at Monday’s event, said relations between the hockey federations of India and Pakistan remained “excellent”.

“I want to say this on record that we share very good relations between the hockey federations of India and Pakistan,” Singh said.

The Asian Champions Trophy will begin in Jalandhar on October 27, while the final will be played in Mohali on November 5.