Tuesday 16 / April / 2024
Muscat: Arch-rivals India and Pakistan were declared joint winners of the 2018 Asian Champions Trophy after the final was called off due to rain.
Scheduled to be held on Sunday night at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex where Malaysia had taken third place against Japan after a 3-2 penalty shootout earlier in the evening, a lip-smacking encounter between the two teams was initially postponed, and with no further alterative, officials from the Oman Hockey Association and Asian Hockey Federation decided to call off the game.
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The result means that India and Pakistan emerge as joint winners, Malaysia finish third, Japan are fourth, while South Korea finish fifth after beating hosts Oman 3-1 in Boushar on Saturday evening.
The six Asian nations were looking to use the tournament as a springboard to warm up for the upcoming Hockey World Cup, which is going to be held in Bhubaneswar in the Indian state of Odisha from 28 November.
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“The final of the Fifth Hero Asian Champions Trophy Hockey Tournament at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, Oman was between Pakistan and India, the nations which have equally shared the four previous titles,” said a statement from the Pakistan Hockey Federation. “So it was time to go one up. Pakistan were appearing in the fifth consecutive final and India had missed just once. It was all to play for. But the match couldn’t get underway due to continuous downpour and the two teams were declared Joint Winners.”
In addition, a statement from Hockey India said, “The Indian Men's Hockey Team will share the trophy of the Hero Asian Champions Trophy 2018 with Pakistan after the Final of the tournament was forfeited due to adverse weather conditions on 28th October. India and Pakistan have been declared as joint winners of the Hero Asian Champions Trophy 2018 due to the Final being forfeited.”
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The Asian Hockey Federation, the governing body for the sport in Asia, also put out a statement on the final.
“In one of the most unpredictable nights in Muscat, the final has been called off between India and Pakistan, due to severe rain,” said a statement from them. “According to tournament officials, both sides have been declared Joint Champions of the Hero Asian Champions Trophy 2018.”
