Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann inaugurated the ninth Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament at Jalandhar’s Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium on Tuesday, beginning an international sporting event that will place the city at the centre of Punjab’s bid to host the 2030 Hockey World Cup.
Six nations are competing in the tournament. Jalandhar will host all league matches, while the semi-finals and final will be played in Mohali. The event is the first time Punjab has hosted the Asian Champions Trophy, according to the report by the Times of India.
Welcoming the participating teams and felicitating their captains, Mann said Punjab was ready to reclaim its position on the global hockey stage. He said the tournament could strengthen the state’s proposal to host the 2030 Hockey World Cup, linking the event to Punjab’s sporting history and its existing hockey facilities.
“Punjab and hockey share an inseparable bond. The state’s contribution to Indian hockey is not merely a matter of statistics but a legacy built on passion, sacrifice, discipline and an unbreakable sporting spirit,” Mann said. “Hockey is in the blood of Punjab, and every generation of our players has carried this legacy forward with immense pride.”
Mann cited Punjab’s contribution to India’s Olympic hockey record, saying the state had produced 77 hockey Olympians between the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics. He also said 48 players from Punjab had won Olympic medals and that players from the state had captained India’s Olympic hockey team on 10 occasions.
The chief minister recalled the careers of Balbir Singh Sr, Udham Singh, Pritipal Singh, Ajit Pal Singh, Surjit Singh and Pargat Singh. He also pointed to India’s men’s hockey bronze medals at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the Paris Olympics in 2024, describing Punjab’s representation in both teams as evidence of the state’s continuing importance to Indian hockey.
According to Mann, eight members of the current Indian men’s hockey team, led by Harmanpreet Singh, are from Punjab. India opened its campaign in Jalandhar with a 13-0 win over Bangladesh on the tournament’s first day.
The opening drew former Olympians, international athletes, local spectators and young players from regional sports academies. Fifteen children from the Khelo India academy attended the match, while local hockey players and residents described the tournament as an important opportunity to see international competition at a city venue associated with the sport.
The event also highlighted Jalandhar’s wider relationship with hockey. Local resident Vinod Sharma pointed to the city’s history of producing players and its sports-manufacturing industry. Young spectators, including students from Kukad Pind and Suranasi, attended in support of Indian players such as Harmanpreet Singh and Hardik Singh.
The league matches will continue in Jalandhar before the tournament moves to Mohali for its semi-finals and final. Punjab’s hosting record during the event will form part of the state’s stated effort to strengthen its bid for the 2030 Hockey World Cup.
