KUALA LUMPUR: The Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) has yet again postponed the men’s and women’s Asian Champions Trophy tournaments, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Bangladesh Hockey Federation had been scheduled to host the 6th edition of the biennial event from March 11 to 19 in Dhaka, while Donghae in South Korea was to have been the venue for the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy, which had been scheduled for March 31 to April 7.
According to Inside The Games, the AHF cited the impact of lockdowns on training and the risk of spreading new COVID-19 variants as reasons for the postponements, with those decisions made in consultation with the host federations and the International Hockey Federation.
As per current projections, the hope is that the women’s event can be rescheduled for September and the men’s for October.
“The decision of postponement has been difficult for the Asian Hockey Federation,” Inside The Games quotes AHF president Fumio Ogura as having stated.
“But after consulting with the hosts, the participating teams, and the FIH we had to make this unfortunate announcement.
“The safety, health and welfare of the athletes comes first for us, while we also strive to provide equal opportunity for all.”
Both the Men’s Asian Champions Trophy and Women’s Asian Champions Trophy had been scheduled to be played last year, before the pandemic led to their postponement.
