The trophy of the Asian Hockey Champions Tournament (Women) was welcomed with much fanfare when it reached the world heritage site Nalanda Mahavihara here on Monday. During this time, hundreds of sports lovers and school children were also present.
The tournament, jointly organized by Hockey India and the Government of Bihar, will be played at the newly developed Rajgir Hockey Stadium from November 11 to 20. Apart from defending champion India, teams from China, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan will participate in this tournament.
Officials said the trophy will be taken to various places in the district for public display to encourage the youth, especially women, and popularize the event. Bihar State Sports Authority Director General Ravindran Shankaran said, “The trophy was earlier taken to Punjab, Haryana, Odisha and Jharkhand.
After that, it was taken to almost all the districts of Bihar and will reach Rajgir on November 10. This is a prestigious program for Bihar. It is like a big celebration for the people of Bihar.” He said, ”Our stadium in Rajgir is completely prepared as per the guidelines of the International Hockey Federation. We can also host the Hockey World Cup here in 2026.
The trophy was received by Shankaran along with District Magistrate (DM) Shashank Subhankar, Superintendent of Police (SP) Bharat Soni and other senior officials of Nalanda district at the World Heritage Site. Nalanda Mahavihara, located about 95 km southeast of Patna, contains the archaeological remains of a monastery and educational institution dating from the 3rd century BC to the 13th century AD. According to UNESCO, Nalanda is the oldest university in the subcontinent.
The District Magistrate said, “It is a matter of great joy that the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2024 is being organized in Rajgir. All arrangements have been made to provide the best possible facilities to the players, tourists and people coming from outside for the event.” He said translators have been appointed for the fans and players coming from China, Japan and South Korea. So that they do not face any difficulty in interacting with the local people.
The Superintendent of Police said that extensive security arrangements have been made for the tournament. “A fool-proof security plan has been prepared for each team,” he said. The teams have to reach here from November 7th. Additional forces and escort vehicles will be deployed from the hotel to the stadium for the security of the players. Apart from this, CCTV cameras have been installed at all important places in the city.