AHF confirm Kuantan, ranking points for ACT

THE Asian Hockey Federation (AHF), in a meeting in Dubai yesterday, confirmed Malaysia as the hosts for the Fourth Edition of the Asian Champions Trophy.
  The tournament will be held in Kuantan on Oct 20-30, and will award International Hockey Federation (FIH) ranking points for the first time.
  Malaysia will be up against defending champions India, Pakistan, Japan, South Korea, China, and Bangladesh. The top-three teams will receive ranking points.
  For the record, Malaysia finished fourth in all three earlier editions.
  The AHF meeting was chaired by president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, and it was also decided that countries which do not compete in the Asian Games, Asia Cup and Asian Champions Trophy will not be allowed to play in the relevant qualifiers for the World Cup and Olympics.
  The Asian Games and Asia Cup will remain as a qualifier for the World Cup and Olympics.
  The women's Asian Champions Trophy will be held in Singapore on Oct 29-Nov 6, and coach K. Dharmaraj's ladies will compete against India, South Korea, China and Japan.
  October if set t be a 'hockey fest' as the Sultan of Johor Cup will be held a day after the Asian Champions Trophy in Johor Baru.
  The junior invitational, on Oct 31-Nov 6, will showcase teams which has qualified for the New Delhi Junior World Cup. Malaysia, the only odd one out who did not qualify, will be up against Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Pakistan and England.
  All the three Malaysian teams competing in these tournaments will be playing in the Australian National League in September/October.