It is official. A hockey blockbuster clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan will be held in Muscat, weeks after Muscat Daily first reported that the prestigious Asian Champions Trophy, featuring Asia's five best teams and the host nation, will be hosted by Oman in October.
An agreement to host the fifth edition of the tournament at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex (SQSC) from October 18-28 was signed between the Oman Hockey Association (OHA) and the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) in Muscat on Monday.
After the deal was inked, both Tayyab Ikram, CEO of the AHF and Talib al Wahaibi, the OHA chief, were unanimous that the prestigious tournament will do a world of good to not only Oman hockey but also to the region.
Besides heavyweights India and Pakistan, who have won the title twice each, since the tournament began in the Chinese city of Ordos in 2011, South Korea, Malaysia and Japan will be the other nations vying for the title.
Speaking at a ceremony to announce Oman as the official tournament hosts, Wahaibi said, “It is a matter of pride for me, Oman and Oman hockey to host the Asian Champions Trophy. To have the top five teams from the 31-nation Asian hockey family along with our national team vie for the prestigious crown at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex is a dream come true. It will be a major boost for the Omani hockey.
“We thank the AHF CEO Tayyab Ikram for entrusting us the responsibility and we are hopeful of a memorable event.”
Ikram said, “Given the amount of hockey in Oman over the next few months, it will be right to say that 2018 is an year of hockey in Oman. The sultanate had chances in the past to hold such events but it failed to grab them. However, under the leadership of Talib al Wahaibi, Oman has now made its presence felt in Asian hockey
“Be it the success of hosting the AHF Congress last year or organising the forthcoming triangular series involving Pakistan and Japan next month, or the hosting of the Asian Games Qualifiers followed by the Hero Asian Champions Trophy, Oman will be the hub of hockey activities in the region.”
The top Asian official said, “Oman is taking up the role of a hockey leader in the Middle East. The Asian Games Qualifiers in March will feature nine countries and will be the first step towards the qualification for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games for those participating nations.”
Ikram said that the Asian Champions Trophy is a much-sought event by leading nations as it has all the ingredients that the hockey world desires – a mouth-watering clash between India and Pakistan.
“With no bilateral series between the two nations held in recent years, Asian Champions Trophy provides a perfect platform for one of the most-popular viewership events in the world. The India-Pakistan match viewership at the Asia Cup in Dhaka, Bangladesh last year had a much better viewership than any other FIH event and was even more than hockey matches at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
“With a live telecast assured across 100 nations, the Asian Champions Trophy is the blue riband event of the AHF. We at the AHF are making attempts to bridge the gap between top-tier and second-tier teams and as part of this endeavour, we had the Asia Cup in Dhaka and now will have the Asian Champions Trophy in Muscat,” said Ikram.
With the Asian Champions Trophy scheduled in October, it will also be a key build-up for three World-Cup bound teams - India, Pakistan and Malaysia – raising the stakes in Oman. The World Cup will be held in the Indian city of Odisha from November 28-December 16 .
Wahaibi said the decision to hire of one of the world's leading coaches, Tahir Zaman of Pakistan, for Oman is aimed at improving out team’s performances in the international tournaments.
Oman will travel to Hong Kong in second week of February to play a tri-nation tournament featuring hosts and Chinese Taipei before returning to take part in the triangular series, featuring Pakistan and Japan, in Muscat from February 14-20.
The Asian Games Qualifiers will be the main test for Zaman as a title victory will seal Oman's berth in Asian Games and also put it on track for a chance to compete in 2020 Tokyo Games.
Besides Oman, the other nations confirmed for the March qualifiers are Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Indonesia and Afghanistan.
Oman had participated in two previous Asian Champions Trophy - Doha, Qatar in 2012 and Kakamigahara, Japan in 2013. While it finished fifth in Doha, it was at the bottom in Japan.
India is the defending champion after it beat Pakistan in the final 3-2 in Kuantan, Malaysia for its second title in 2016.
