Punjab Set To Host Asian Champions Trophy For First Time; Mohali, Jalandhar Selected As Venues

The upcoming Asian Champions Trophy will be hosted by Punjab in October this year, announced chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday.

The matches will be played in Mohali and Jalandhar.

The last major international engagement in Jalandhar was a high-profile Test match against Pakistan in 2006 at the Surjit Hockey Stadium.

The ACT will also be the first international hockey tournament to be held in Punjab under the aegis of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF).

Addressing the media, Mann said it will be for the first time that an international hockey event will be held in the state.

Although the venues have been finalised, the dates of the tournament will be decided later.

Mann said a meeting with the representatives of Hockey India and the AHF was held on Monday. The meeting was also attended by Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey, "Yes, the ACT this year will be held in Punjab... we have allotted this tournament to them. It's a historic occasion as Punjab, the cradle of Indian hockey, is going to host an international tournament for the first time," HI secretary general Bholanath Singh told PTI.

During the programme, the Punjab chief minister also said that the National Under-13 Badminton Championship will be held in Punjab after a gap of 44 years in Jalandhar.