Rajgir in Bihar will host the Hero Asia Cup Hockey 2025 in August of this year. Hockey India and the Bihar State Sports Authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard at the Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna. The tournament will take place from the 29th of August to the 7th of September at the recently developed Rajgir Hockey Stadium. This will be the second international sporting event hosted by Rajgir, after the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy in November last year, where India emerged victorious.
The 12th edition of the Hero Asia Cup will witness the participation of 8 teams, including India, Pakistan, Japan, Korea, China, and Malaysia. The remaining two teams will secure their spots through the qualifying tournament, the AHF Cup. South Korea stands as the most successful team in the history of the Men’s Asia Cup with five titles, followed closely by India and Pakistan, who have each won the tournament three times.
The MoU was signed by the Secretary General of Hockey India, Bholanath Singh and the Additional Chief Secretary of the Bihar Sports Department, B. Rajender. President of Hockey India Dilip Tirkey, Indian Men’s Hockey India team captain Harmanpreet Singh, vice captain Hardik Singh, Hockey India Treasurer S J Manoharan and DG of Bihar State Sports Authority Ravindran Shankaran were also present on the occasion.
DG of BSSA Mr Shankaran said that it will be a great occasion that Bihar is going to host such a prestigious competition. He said that as a host, it is estimated that around 20 thousand spectators will come to enjoy this upcoming sports extravaganza in Bihar. President of Hockey India Dr. Dilip Tirkey praised the spirit of the Bihar government and Bihar State Sports Authority for their support to organising big events.
Secretary General Bholanath Singh said that, ultimately, Bihar is going to get the benefits of such big tournaments as it will set up sports infrastructure in the state.
Indian Hockey Team captain Harmanpreet Singh expressed his enthusiasm to play at the newly built state of the art Rajgir International Stadium.
