Punjab Is Putting ₹25 Crore Into the Two Stadiums Hosting the Asian Champions Trophy
Tournament hockey leaves something behind when it’s done properly. Punjab is spending like it intends to.
Around ₹25 crore has been earmarked to bring the two Asian Champions Trophy stadiums up to international standard, Mohali mayor and AAP Punjab leader Sarabjit Singh said in Chandigarh on Wednesday, in IANS reporting. Roughly ₹16 crore of it goes to Jalandhar, where the league stage runs from 27 October to 2 November, and about ₹8.90 crore to Mohali, which hosts the semi-finals, the third-place match and the final on 4 and 5 November.
Six teams play the tournament: hosts and holders India, plus Bangladesh, Japan, China, Malaysia and South Korea.
Singh also put the hockey spend in the state’s wider sports picture, citing the “Khed Kranti” programme’s roughly ₹135 crore in cash awards to nearly 40,000 players, and around 32 stadiums under construction in Mohali alone. Politicians say a lot of things at podiums, obviously. But the stadium money is the bit that outlives the speeches. Jalandhar’s Surjit stadium is one of Indian hockey’s proper homes, and a ₹16 crore refresh is the kind of thing players notice the first time they walk in.
Entry to every match is free, with digital passes — we’ve covered that separately. Full houses, upgraded stadiums, and the holders playing at home. Punjab is not doing this tournament by halves. The action starts with three games on opening day, and Malaysia are taking it seriously enough to camp in Perth straight after.
