Punjab to host Asian hockey championship after 44 years; Jalandhar, Mohali venues

Jalandhar: Punjab will host the Asian Hockey Championship, marking the return of elite international hockey to the state and the first tournament of its scale in India since 1982, officials have confirmed on Tuesday.Hockey Punjab president Nitin Kohli said matches will be split between Jalandhar's Burlton Park Sports Complex and Mohali. The announcement follows a directive from chief minister Bhagwant Mann to bring premier sporting events back to the region's traditional hockey heartland. The championship represents a significant logistical undertaking for the state, with infrastructure upgrades already in progress.Both the opening and closing ceremonies are scheduled to take place in Mohali. Extensive development is currently ongoing in Jalandhar to upgrade facilities to international standards. Kohli, who also serves as the Aam Aadmi Party's Jalandhar Central constituency in-charge, emphasised that the decision was a "visionary step" rather than a political manoeuvre. "This was not part of any election promise but a positive step in the public interest," Kohli said. The event is expected to revitalise local interest in the sport in Jalandhar, a city historically known for producing world-class Olympians but which has lacked high-level international fixtures for decades. MSID:: 129632212 413 |