AHF hoping for a grand Asia Cup
Bangladesh is on the right track to host the 10th Men's Asia Cup Hockey Tournament in October, opined Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) high-ups during a programme at a hotel in the capital yesterday.
The programme was organised to announce Hero, the world's largest two-wheeler manufacturer, as the title sponsors of the event.
The eight-nation tournament, to be held in Bangladesh after 32 years, will start from October 11 and end on October 22. Hosts Bangladesh will take on Pakistan while India will play against Japan in the two matches of the opening day at the Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium.
“Everything is going in the right direction so far and we expect the floodlights will light up the day before the start of the tournament,” said AHF CEO Tayyab Ikram.
The AHF is also pondering whether to award Bangladesh more international tournaments in a bid to attract its youth to the game.
“The day I took office at AHF, I was thinking of bringing Asia Cup back to Dhaka. I always believed Bangladesh has all the ingredients of a top hockey nation and hosting Asia Cup this time under floodlights will help them grow interest among the youth to play hockey,” Ikram said, adding that they are also thinking of whether to host matches between India and Pakistan in Dhaka.
J Narain, the sports advisor of Hero Motocorp, hoped that this edition of the Asia Cup will be a grand success. “Hero is always with sports and it is associated with cricket, hockey, golf and many others. We have a special feeling for this edition of Asia Cup as Bangladesh remains close to the heart of Hero MotoCorp. We have every hope that Asia Cup will be an event of pomp and grandeur in Dhaka.”
Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) president Air Chief Marshal Abu Esrar said that they are delighted and honoured to host the event after a gap of 32 years and thanked the government for allocating US$2.25 million for upgrades to the stadium and installation of floodlights. BHF general secretary Abdus Sadeque was also present on the occasion.
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