CHENNAI: Asian Champions Trophy 2023 will be held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, thanks to a move by Hockey India to host international hockey competitions in various cities across the nation.
The seventh iteration of the prestigious competition will take place from August 3 to August 12, 2023, and it will serve as a warm-up for the Hangzhou Asian Games in September, where teams will compete for gold to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
The last time Chennai played host to an international hockey competition was in 2007 when the famous Asia Cup was played. Chennai's squad won the tournament that year by defeating Korea 7-2 in the championship game.
In the first competition, which was conducted in 2011, the Indian Men's Team won the title. In the 2016 competition, they defeated Pakistan to take the title. After rain disrupted the Final in Muscat, India and Pakistan shared the victory in the next edition in 2018.
The Hero Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023 will be held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, which was once the centre of South Indian hockey, according to Minister of Youth Welfare and Sports Development Thiru Udhayanidhi Stalin. 'It is indeed a great pleasure and honour to host the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, where many prestigious domestic and international events have been held here,' Stalin said.
The fact that the sport is being revitalised in the state and that so many young people are moving up the ranks, including Tamil Nadu native S Karthi, a recent star on the Indian team, makes me extremely happy. I am confident that holding the Hero Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai in 2023 will help to further revitalise the sport in the area and encourage new generations to pursue hockey as a vocation.
"On behalf of Hockey India, I thank Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin for his support in hosting this prestigious tournament in Chennai," said Padma Shri Dilip Tirkey, president of Hockey India. During the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar-Rourkela, I had the privilege of speaking with him, and it was inspiring to see his enthusiasm and love for the game. I also like to thank AHF for this chance. We haven't had the top teams from Asia visit India and compete here in a while. We hope they all show up in huge numbers to support the competing teams since I have many happy memories of playing there.
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