The Asian Hockey Federation (AHF), on Monday, announced Hero MotoCorp Ltd, the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, as the title sponsor of the men’s Asia Cup 2017, which will be hosted by the Bangladesh Hockey Federation.
The 10th edition of the quadrennial event will take place at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium in Dhaka, returning to Bangladesh for the first time since 1985.
The tournament will take place from October 11 to 22.
Speaking of the partnership, Hero MotoCorp Ltd chairman Pawan Munjal said, “At Hero MotoCorp, we aim to build a culture of sportsmanship and team spirit among the youth across the world through our various global sports associations. We have a successful association with the FIH, and we are now glad to associate with the Asian Hockey Federation.”
Introduced in 1982, the inaugural men’s Asia Cup was won by Pakistan who also won the next two editions in 1985 and 1989.
Since then, India (2003, 2007) and Korea (1993, 1999, 2009 and 2013) have also been champions in the nine editions played so far.
The tournament will witness stiff competition among the top performing teams from across Asia with big stakes at play, the biggest incentive being a direct ticket for the winning team to the World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in Bhubaneshwar from November 28 to December 16.
This year, the premier continental tournament will feature host nation Bangladesh along with China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Oman and Pakistan.
India is the top-ranked team (sixth position) among the competing nations in the latest FIH rankings.
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