Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023: Pass the Ball Trophy Tour Reaches Kalinga Stadium

Ahead of the highly anticipated Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023, the ‘Pass The Ball Trophy Tour’ arrived at the iconic Kalinga Stadium in Odisha on Sunday.

President of Hockey India, Dilip Tirke,  Director of Sports, Odisha Siddhartha Das and Sports Minister Tusharkanti Behera were present at the event and unveiled the trophy in the presence of Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High-Performance cadets and officials of Sports & Youth Services Department.

The Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur launched the “Pass the Ball Trophy Tour” campaign at the Asian Champions 2023 highly anticipated trophy launch in Chennai.

The trophy made its way through several parts of the nation, including Delhi, Chandigarh, Guwahati, and Patna, before arriving in Bhubaneswar. The campaign aims to inspire young athletes from all over the nation with a glimpse of the illustrious trophy.

“It should go without saying that Odisha is incredibly happy to host the Hero Asian Champions Pass the Ball Trophy Tour at Kalinga Stadium today,” HI chief Tirkey opined.

“India has a long history of hosting major hockey tournaments, and I am confident that the Hero Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai in 2023 will be a success,” the 45-year-old said.

“Hockey as a sport would benefit greatly from the upcoming Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai 2023, Sports Minister Behera said.

“Sundargarh has a history of producing exceptional athletes, including Olympians, for the national team. We look forward to playing a significant role in the upcoming years,” he added.

Sports Director Siddhartha Das said,” It is a wonderful occasion for us as the Pass the Ball Trophy arrives in Odisha and we get to host the campaign for the first time. India has achieved remarkable success in hockey, as well as in the Olympics, which is a source of great pride for us.”

“I’d like to share that, owing to the Honourable Chief Minister, hockey in Odisha has received great support. Honourable CM Naveen Patnaik has not only promoted hockey only through hosting Hockey tournaments but also installing more than 20 hockey turfs has ensured grassroots hockey grows further,” he continued.

“We look forward to the tournament and wish our team the very best,” the sports Director concluded.

The trophy is scheduled to travel through Ranchi, Bangalore and Trivandrum before arriving in the host city of Chennai.

The tournament is set to begin on the 3rd of August and continue till the 12th of August in Chennai.