Japan's men's hockey team touched down at Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Mohali, on Friday, October 23, greeted not by a sterile terminal arrival but by the thunder of dhol, cascading marigold garlands, and a full-throated display of Punjabi hospitality — a preview of the welcome Punjab intends to extend to every nation competing in the Asian Champions Trophy. The Chief Minister's Office of Punjab confirmed the 18-member squad's arrival, marking the opening act of a tournament that Punjab is hosting for the very first time.

Japan's Bhangra welcome at Mohali airport

Officials from the Punjab Sports Department orchestrated the reception, with Bhangra performers and traditional garlands setting the tone for what the state government is billing as world-class hospitality. The scene was deliberate symbolism: Punjab, a state synonymous with hockey greatness at the national level, signalling its arrival on the continental stage as a venue and not merely a supplier of talent.

The Asian Champions Trophy runs from October 27 to November 5, spread across venues in Jalandhar and Mohali. Jalandhar has a particularly layered relationship with the sport — its long-standing sports-goods manufacturing industry means the city has literally built the sticks and balls the game is played with across Asia for decades.

Bhagwant Mann's push to bring international hockey to Punjab

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who has made sports infrastructure a visible plank of his administration since taking office in 2022, is credited by the CMO post with the 'persistent efforts' that secured the tournament for the state. Punjab's government has pledged world-class facilities, security, and hospitality to all participating nations — though the specifics of venue upgrades remain to be detailed officially.

India last hosted the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai in 2023. Bringing the next edition to Punjab represents a geographic and political shift — routing a prestigious continental event through a state with deep cultural ties to the sport rather than a metro with larger general infrastructure.

Why Punjab hosting this tournament matters beyond the scoreline

State governments across India have increasingly bid for continental sporting events as instruments of soft power: upgrading venues, generating tourism revenue, and building local pride. For Punjab, which has historically produced a disproportionate share of India's national hockey players, hosting the Asian Champions Trophy closes a symbolic loop — the birthplace of so much hockey talent now becomes the stage for elite Asian competition.

The tournament field will put some of Asia's strongest hockey nations on Punjab soil for ten days. How the state handles logistics, crowd management, and on-ground hospitality will shape whether this becomes a one-off landmark or the start of a recurring international hosting calendar for Punjab.