Pakistan Hockey team arrives in India , will play in Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai

The Pakistan Hockey team arrived in India on Monday via the Attari-Wagah border to participate in the upcoming Asian Champions Trophy Hockey, which is scheduled to begin on Thursday.

The Men’s Asian Champions Trophy is an annual event organized by the Asian Hockey Federation since 2011, featuring Asia’s top six field hockey teams competing in a round-robin format.

India and Pakistan have been the joint most successful teams in the tournament’s history. In the 2018 Men’s Asian Champions Trophy, both countries were declared joint winners.

Pakistan hockey coach says both Pak, India have big hearts, treat guests well

Expressing his hopes for stronger relations through sports, Muhammad Saqlain, the coach of the Pakistan Hockey team, said, “The [Pakistan] team is travelling to Chennai to play in the Asian Champions Trophy, and teams from all over Asia will feature in the tournament. Through sports, we hope to build our relationship stronger.”

Saqlain added, “I believe that through the sports and film industry, our bonds will grow stronger with India. People from both countries have big hearts and treat their guests well.”

Captain of the Pakistan Hockey team, Muhammad Umar Bhutta, said, “The team will be playing in the Asian Champions Trophy. The tournament will be held from August 3 till August 12.”

He emphasized the positive role of sports in building relationships and said, “Sport is a good thing, it helps to build your relationship with others. There should be a lot of sports.”

Pakistan has previously won the Asian Champions Trophy three times. They secured their first title in 2012, the second in 2013, and shared the trophy with India in 2018. India won the inaugural tournament in 2011, and they triumphed again in 2016. In the last edition of the tournament in 2021, South Korea emerged as the champions.