The Pakistan hockey team has reached India via the Wagah-Attari border to participate in the upcoming Asian Champions Trophy Hockey, set to begin on Thursday.
Organized annually by the Asian Hockey Federation since 2011, the Men's Asian Champions Trophy features the top six field hockey teams from Asia, who compete in a round-robin format.
The tournament is highly anticipated, and fans are looking forward to witnessing intense competition among Asia's finest hockey teams during this year's event.
Muhammad Saqlain, coach of the Pakistan Hockey team said, "The team is traveling to Chennai to play in the Asian Champions Trophy and teams from all over Asia will feature in the tournament. Through sports, we hope to build our relationship stronger."
"I believe that through the sports and film industry, our bounds will grow stronger with India. People from both countries have big hearts and treat their guests well," he said.
The captain of the Pakistan Hockey team, Muhammad Umar Bhutta said, "The team will be playing in the Asian Champions Trophy. The tournament will be held from August 3 till August 12."
"Sport is a good thing, it helps to build your relationship with others. There should be a lot of sports," he said.
Notably, India and Pakistan have been the most successful teams in the tournament's history. Pakistan has secured three titles, winning in 2012 and 2013, and sharing the trophy with India in 2018. On the other hand, India claimed the inaugural title in 2011, and also emerged victorious in 2016 and shared the title with Pakistan in 2018. In the 2021 edition, South Korea was the winning team.
