‘No problem in international tournaments’: Pakistan hockey team travels to India for Asian Champions Trophy

India’s Mandeep Singh (left) and Pakistan’s Muhammad Hammadudin shake hands after the Field Hockey World Cup pool D match between India and Pakistan in Amstelveen, Netherlands. NEW DELHI: Pakistan will travel to India for the men’s Asia Trophy next month, with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann confirming in Mohali on Monday that the team will participate in the six-nation tournament under the Centre’s policy to allow India and Pakistan to compete in multinational events.The tournament will be held from October 27 to November 5 and will be played across Jalandhar and Mohali in Punjab. Along with India and Pakistan, China, Japan, Malaysia and Korea will participate. Oman and Bangladesh were named as reserve teams in case any team withdrew.India will enter the tournament as the defending champions after winning the title in Chennai in 2023 and Hulunbuir in China in 2024.Asked about Pakistan’s participation and getting the required permissions, Mann said bilateral cricket or hockey series may not be possible, but international tournaments are handled differently.“There is no problem in multi-nation tournaments. It may happen that individual series (India and Pakistan) cannot take place,” Mann said.The Centre’s sports policy bans bilateral sports relations with Pakistan after the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, after which India conducted Operation Sindoor. However, in accordance with the Olympic Charter, the Sports Ministry says that athletes from Pakistan can compete in India in multinational events, PTI reported.Despite this policy, Pakistan pulled out of the Junior Hockey World Cup in Tamil Nadu last year, citing tensions between the two countries following Operation Sindoor.Mann said all the matches of the league stage of the Asian Champions Trophy will be played in Jalandhar while Mohali will host the semi-finals and final. He added that Punjab is committed to ensure the successful organization of the tournament, which will be the first Asian Champions Trophy hosted in the state.Hockey India general secretary Bhola Nath Singh said relations between the Indian and Pakistan hockey federations remain strong despite political tensions between the two countries.“I want to put it on record that we share a very good relationship between the hockey federations of India and Pakistan.“You must have noticed that whenever I go, if the Indian team beats Pakistan, I meet the Pakistan team first. The guys (players) there also show immense respect,” Singh said.The Asian Champions Trophy will begin on October 27 in Jalandhar, with the final scheduled for November 5 in Mohali.