Jalandhar, Oct. 25 -- As Punjab is set to host the Men's Asian Hockey Champions Trophy 2026 starting on October 27, the state gave a rousing welcome to the international hockey squads from Bangladesh, Japan, China, and Malaysia when they arrived at the Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar for their practice sessions on Saturday. Local residents and enthusiastic budding hockey players gathered in large numbers to greet the visiting athletes.

For Punjab, this championship will be the first international event in 17 years since the Punjab Gold Cup, the last international hockey tournament held in the state in 2009.

Teams from six nations-India, Malaysia, China, Japan, South Korea, and Bangladesh-will take part in the tournament over...