Photograph of the Asian Champions Trophy team captains courtesy United News of Bangladesh

he 6th Hero Men's Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament was held at the Maulana Bhashani Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from December 14 to 22, 2021. 5 teams took part in the tournament - Bangladesh, India, Japan, Pakistan, South Korea - with Malaysia having to withdraw at the last minute after one of their players tested positive for Covid-19.

The five teams were part of one pool, with the top 4 teams qualifying for the semi-finals.

Joint defending champion India had to settle for bronze after a shock loss to Japan in the semi-finals. This was the first time that neither Indiia or Pakistan featured in the final of the Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament.

India has the following match results:

Stage	Date	Result	Goal Scorers - India
Pool	Dec 14	India 2 - South Korea 2	Lalit Kumar Upadhyay (3 min) Harmanpreet Singh (33 min), PC
	Dec 15	India 9 - Bangladesh 0	Dilpreet Singh (12, 22, 44 min) Lalit Kumar Upadhyay (29 min), PC Jarmanpreet Singh (31, 43 min), both PCs Akashdeep Singh (54 min) Mandeep Mor (55 min), PC Harmanpreet Singh (56 min), PC
	Dec 17	India 3 - Pakistan 1	Harmanpreet Singh (9, 53 min), both PCs Akashdeep Singh (42 min)
	Dec 19	India 6 - Japan 0	Harmanpreet Singh (10, 53 min), both PCs Dilpreet Singh (23 min) Jarmanpreet Singh (34 min) Sumit (46 min) Shamsher Singh (54 min)
Semis	Dec 21	Japan 5 - India 3	Dilpreet Singh (17 min) Harmanpreet Singh (53 min), PC Hardeek Singh (59 min), PC
3rd vs. 4th	Dec 22	India 4 - Pakistan 3	Harmanpreet Singh (2 min), PC Sumit (45 min) Varun Kumar (54 min), PC Akashdeep Singh (57 min)

The final standings were as follows: 1 - South Korea, 2 - Japan, 3 - India, 4 - Pakistan, 5 - Bangladesh

The Indian team for the Men's Asian Champions Trophy was as follows:

Forwards: Akashdeep Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Gursahibjit Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Shamsher Singh, Shilanand Lakra

Midfielders: Manpreet Singh (captain), Hardeek Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Rajkumar Pal, Sumit

Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh (vice captain), Dispan Tirkey, Gurinder Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Mandeep Mor, Neelam Sanjeeb Xess, Varun Kumar

Goalkeepers: Krishan B. Pathak, Suraj Karkera

Coaches: Chief Coach - Graham Reid, Analytical Coach - Gregg Clark, Coach - Shivendra Singh

Photograph of the India vs. Thailand match courtesy Hockey India

he 6th Women's Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament was held in Donghae, South Korea, from December 5 to 12, 2021. 4 teams completed all their matches in the tournament - China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand - with India withdrawing after their first match and Malaysia withdrawing before the tournament due to their players testing positive for Covid-19.

The four teams were part of one pool, with the top 2 teams qualifying for the final, and the bottom two playing for the bronze.

India has the following results for the only match they played. Despite playing only one match, Gurjeet Kaur ended up as the top goal scorer of the tournament with 5 goals.

Stage	Date	Result	Goal Scorers - India
Pool	Dec 5	India 13 - Thailand 0	Gurjeet Kaur (2-PS, 14-PC, 24-PC, 25-PC, 58-PC) Vandana Katariya (7 min) Leelima Minz (14, 24-PC) Jyoti (15-PC, 36 min) Rajvinder Kaur (16 min) Sonika (43 min) Monika (55 min)
	Dec 6	India vs. Malaysia	- Withdrawal -
	Dec 8	India vs. South Korea	- Withdrawal -
	Dec 9	India vs. China	- Withdrawal -
	Dec 11	India vs. Japan	- Withdrawal -
Placings	Dec 12		- Withdrawal -

The final standings were as follows: 1 - Japan, 2 - South Korea, 3 - China, 4 - Thailand

The Indian team for the Women's Asian Champions Trophy was as follows:

Forwards: Vandana Katariya, Navneet Kaur, Rajvinder Kaur, Mariana Kujur, Sonika

Midfielders: Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Nisha, Monika, Neha Goyal, Jyoti, Namita Toppo, Leelima Minz

Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka (vice captain), Udita, Nikki Pradhan, Gurjeet Kaur

Goalkeepers: Savita (captain), Rajani Etimarapu

Coaches: Chief Coach - Janneke Schopman, Assistant Coach - Ankitha Suresh Billava, Manager - Tushar Khandkar

Photograph of the victorious Punjab team in the Senior Nationals courtesy Hockey India

he 11th Hockey India Senior Men's National Hockey Championship was held at the Major Dhyan Chand Hockey Stadium in Pimpri-Chinchwad near Pune, from December 11 to 21.

The participating teams were divided into 8 pools as listed below, with the winner of each pool qualifying for the quarter-finals.

• Pool A: Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Himachal
• Pool B: Hariyana, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi
• Pool C: Karnataka, Puducherry, Jammu & Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh
• Pool D: Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Andaman & Nicobar - forfeit
• Pool E: Chandigadh, Manipur, Rajasthan, Tripura
• Pool F: Odisha, Bengal, Gujarat, Goa
• Pool G: Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Assam
• Pool H: Maharashtra, Chattisgadh, Mizoram, Bihar

Punjab won the tournament with the following results.

Stage	Date	Punjab	Date	Uttar Pradesh
Pool	Dec 11	beat Uttarakhand 11-0	Dec 12	beat Kerala 9-0
	Dec 13	beat Andhra Pradesh 7-1	Dec 14	beat Jharkhand 3-0
			Dec 16	beat Assam 6-0
Quarters	Dec 18	beat Chandigadh 2-1	Dec 18	beat Hariyana 2-1
Semis	Dec 20	beat Maharashtra 3-0	Dec 20	beat Karnataka 2-1
Final	Dec 21	beat Uttar Pradesh 0-0 (2-1 SO)

In the third-place playoff, Karnataka beat Maharashtra 5-2 to finish third. Champions Punjab were coached by Balvinder Singh, and led by Olympian Rupinder Pal Singh.

The tournament top scorer was captain Taleb Shah of Maharashtra, with 14 goals. Hockey Punjab goalkeeper Kamalbir Singh emerged as the hero of the final, making as many as four saves in the shootout to help his team clinch the title.

Photograph of the Junior Nationals Closing Ceremony courtesy Stick2Hockey.com

he 11th Hockey India Junior Men's National Hockey Championship was held at the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) Astroturf Hockey Stadium in Kovilpatti, Thoothukudi district, from December 16 to 25.

The participating teams were divided into 8 pools as listed below, with the winner of each pool qualifying for the quarter-finals.

• Pool A: Odisha, Chattisgadh, Rajasthan
• Pool B: Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand
• Pool C: Hariyana, Bengal, Telengana, Tripura - forfeit
• Pool D: Chandigadh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Mizoram
• Pool E: Punjab, Maharashtra, Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh - forfeit
• Pool F: Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Andaman & Nicobar - forfeit
• Pool G: Delhi, Manipur, Puducherry, Gujarat
• Pool H: Jharkhand, Bihar, Assam, Goa

Uttar Pradesh won the tournament with the following results.

Stage	Date	Uttar Pradesh	Date	Chandigadh
Pool	Dec 18	beat Uttarakhand 11-0	Dec 16	beat Andhra Pradesh 23-0
	Dec 20	beat Madhya Pradesh 12-3	Dec 18	beat Karnataka 1-0
			Dec 19	beat Mizoram 7-0
Quarters	Dec 22	beat Delhi 9-0	Dec 22	beat Punjab 3-2
Semis	Dec 24	beat Hariyana 8-3	Dec 24	beat Odisha 2-2 (3-0 SO)
Final	Dec 25	beat Chandigadh 3-1

In the third-place playoff, Odisha beat Hariyana 3-2 to finish third.

Champions Uttar Pradesh had the services of Junior World Cuppers Uttam Singh, captain Vishnukant Singh and Shardanand Tiwari, who ended up as the tournament top scorer with 14 goals. Upon the return of the victorious team to Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Sports Director Ram Prakash Singh announced ₹5.5 lakh reward to the team.

All matches of the junior men's nationals were telecast live on Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu's YouTube channel, available here.

Harmanpreet Singh scoring in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics bronze medal match aginast Germany, photograph credit AFP

he Photograph of the Month for January 2022 is of Harmanpreet Singh scoring a goal in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics bronze medal match. India won the match 5-4 to win their first Olympic hockey medal in 41 years.

Harmanpreet Singh was the top scorer for India in 2021, scoring 20 goals. The goals breakup is as follows:

Rank	Country	Goals
1	Australia	0
2	Belgium	1
5	Germany	2
6	England/Great Britain	1
7	Argentina	5
8	New Zealand	2
9	Spain	0
16	South Korea	1
17	Japan	4
18	Pakistan	3
40	Bangladesh	1
	TOTAL	20

India won 6 of its 8 matches in the Tokyo Olympics hockey competition, losing only to world no. 1 Australia and world no. 2 Belgium. Over 70% of India's population wasn't even born when India last stood on the hockey podium at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The Tokyo Olympics bronze was a gift to the present generation, to serve as a link to India's hockey past.

Article by PTI

he Kendriya Suchna Aayog (Central Information Commission) has directed Hockey India to disclose the purpose behind funds transferred by it to foreign accounts and cash withdrawals from its accounts. This was in reponse to activist Subhas Agrawal's 20-point RTI application in October 2019 seeking financial details about the functioning of Hockey India, including signatories and their designations on bank accounts, fund transfers made to foreign accounts and cash withdrawals made from its accounts and their purpose.

Hockey India refused to divulge this information on the grounds of the Commercial Confidence clause of the RTI Act. Agrawal then approached the Kendriya Suchna Aayog, the highest adjudicating body under the RTI Act, challenging Hockey India's response. Agrawal stated he had only sought the designation of the signatories and the name of the bank accounts, and that the question of confidentiality was not applicable here.

Agrawal said that with regard to the information related to fund transfers to different countries, Hockey India should have disclosed the information in accordance with the larger public interest clause of the RTI Act. With regard to cash withdrawals from Hockey India bank accounts, Agrawal said that after demonetisation, most of the transactions have been digitised, yet cash withdrawals were still being made by Hockey India.

In her order, Information Commissioner Amita Pandove directed Hockey India to provide designations of the signatories on bank accounts. She also directed the federation to provide the purpose of fund transfers to bank accounts in foreign countries and cash withdrawals by Hockey India.

Article and graphic courtesy Stick2Hockey.com

une-headquartered Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, one of the leading private general insurers in India has announced the launch of its '#Care4Hockey' campaign. The company has chosen Rani Rampal, Indian women's hockey team captain as the face of this promotion. The thought behind this campaign is to elevate hockey's recognition in India, and showcase how supporting a person to attain their goals can enable them to make a difference in society.

Learning from Rani's journey and the struggles of many like her, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance has gone one step ahead and has associated with One Thousand Hockey Legs, a flagship project of Delhi-based NGO Hockey Citizen Group. As a part of this association, the company will contribute towards supporting underprivileged children pursuing hockey in terms of coaching, nutrition, and equipment. With this campaign, the company hopes to support in the development of hockey at the grassroot level, thus providing an opportunity for many in making their mark in the world and become future role models of tomorrow.

Sharing her thoughts on the campaign, Rani Rampal, Indian women's hockey team captain & Padma Shri award winner said, "A word of encouragement and support from people around you plays a crucial role in helping you achieve your dreams. I've had my share of challenges to be where I'm today. I'm glad to be associated with a brand like Bajaj Allianz General Insurance which stands true to its philosophy of 'Caringly Yours' by providing the much-needed support to Indian hockey and helping aspirations of many come true. I believe that this will surely go a long way in inspiring people to pursue this sport in India."

The promotional video created for the campaign is located here.

Photograph courtesy Hockey India

his month's edition of records and statistics is on 2021 year in review for the Indian men's and women's hockey teams.

INDIAN MEN'S HOCKEY

• The Indian men's hockey team ended the year ranked no. 3 in the world
• In 2021, India's record against higher ranked teams was 0 wins in 2 matches (an abysmal 0% win rate)
• In 2021, India's record against lower ranked teams was 15 wins in 22 matches (68% win rate)
• Penalty corner specialist Harmanpreet Singh was India's highest goal scorer in 2021
• By winning bronze at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, India ended a 41-year drought of winning an Olympic medal in hockey

Rank	Country	MP	W	L	D
1	Australia	1	-	1	-
2	Belgium	1	-	1	-
5	Germany	3	2	-	1
6	England/Great Britain	3	2	-	1
7	Argentina	7	4	1	2
8	New Zealand	1	1	-	-
9	Spain	1	1	-	-
16	South Korea	1	-	-	1
17	Japan	3	2	1	-
18	Pakistan	2	2	-	-
40	Bangladesh	1	1	-	-
	TOTAL	24	15	4	5

INDIAN WOMEN'S HOCKEY

• The Indian women's hockey team ended the year ranked no. 9 in the world
• In 2021, India's record against higher ranked teams was 1 win in 13 matches (an abysmal 8% win rate)
• In 2021, India's record against lower ranked teams was 3 wins in 3 matches (100% win rate)
• Penalty corner specialist Gurjeet Kaur was India's highest goal scorer in 2021
• At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the Indian women's team entered their first ever semi-finals in an FIH world-level event

Rank	Country	MP	W	L	D
1	Netherlands	1	-	1	-
2	England/Great Britain	2	-	2	-
3	Argentina	4	-	3	1
4	Australia	1	1	-	-
5	Germany	5	-	5	-
11	Ireland	1	1	-	-
16	South Africa	1	1	-	-
29	Thailand	1	1	-	-
	TOTAL	16	4	11	1