Ticket sale begins for Hero Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023

 Hosts Hockey India on Thursday announced the commencement of ticket sales for the much-awaited Hero Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023 scheduled to begin on August 3 at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Egmore.

A precursor to the all-important Hangzhou Asian Games in September, the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023 will see the continent's top hockey-playing nations including hosts India, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Japan and China vie for honours.

According to the press release, "marking the commencement of the ticket sales, Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh presented the first ticket to Thiru Udhayanidhi Stalin, Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development of Tamil Nadu."

Stalin said, "I am very happy to receive the first ticket of the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023. We are all very excited to witness international hockey return to Chennai after 16 years. The Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium has been renovated to meet international standards and I am happy to note that under the leadership of Hon'ble Chief Minister Thala MK Stalin, who is also a keen sports lover, we want to have more such events in Tamil Nadu. I hope the people of Chennai will turn up in large numbers to watch the top teams of Asia in action,"

Dilip Tirkey, President, of Hockey India, spoke on the launch of the sale of tickets, "We are delighted to welcome fans once again to witness the return of hockey action in Chennai after a long wait. The six teams will put their best foot forward in a bid to win the Hero Asian Champions Trophy 2023 Chennai. We invite fans from all around the world to see the thrilling sporting action."

Hockey India Treasurer and President, of the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu Sekar J Manoharan who has been involved in the preparations ahead of the tournament said, “It brings me great pleasure to bring international hockey back to Tamil Nadu. This was possible only due to the unwavering support from the Government of Tamil Nadu and Thiru Udhayanidhi Stalin. It is time to repay their faith and I implore the people of Tamil Nadu to come down to support our players in blue.”

India will play their first match of the tournament against China on August 3. Their second match will be against Japan on August 4. After a quick rest, India will face off against Malaysia on August 6 followed by a clash with Korea on August 7. The last match of the group stage will be with Pakistan on August 9. All matches of team India will commence at 2030 hrs. (ANI)