Chandigarh: The Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) has invited chief minister Bhagwant Mann and a Punjab govt delegation to Japan to witness the semi-finals and finals of the men’s and women’s hockey competitions at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026.The invitation, extended by AHF president Fumio Ogura, is for the semi-finals on Sep 30 and Oct 1, followed by the finals on Oct 2 and 3.An official said the visit would provide the Punjab delegation first-hand experience of organising and conducting a major international sporting event as the state prepares to host the Men’s Asian Champions Trophy 2026 for the first time.The tournament will be held from Oct 27 to Nov 5 and jointly hosted by Jalandhar and Mohali. Jalandhar will host the opening ceremony and league-stage matches, while Mohali will host the semi-finals and final.The spokesperson said the AHF invitation was significant as Punjab seeks to strengthen its position as a major hockey centre and bring international hockey back to the state.India, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, China and other teams will compete in the tournament, he said.
