KUANTAN is set to host the Fourth Edition of the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) on Oct 20-30 after negotiations resolved the hefty sanction fee issue.
The Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) had asked for a US40,000 (RM156,000) sanction fee to host the tournament, but after the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) refused to meet their demand -- the AHF met them half-way.
"The AHF had asked for US40,000 sanction fee to host the ACT, but the MHC felt it was too steep and they were willing to let go of the host job, but negotiations managed to half the sanction fee to US20,000 (RM78,000) and Kuantan will host it in October," said a hockey official who wanted to remain anonymous.
It looks like October is going to be a hectic month for hockey as right after the ACT the Sultan Of JOhor Cup will be held on Oct 31-Nov 6 in Johor Baru.
And right smack in the middle of both tournaments is Deevapali on Oct 29.
The First Edition was held in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, in 2011 followed by Doha, Qatar, in 2012 and Kakamigahara, Japan, in 2013.
Malaysia finished third in all three ACT's, which does not offer any ranking points but is just a tournament for the top-six Asian Games teams to spar.
The top-six in the 2014 Incheon, South Korea Games in finishing order are India, Pakistan, South Korea, Malaysia, China and Japan.
"But by halving the sanction fee, the tournament will lose video referral and also full live telecast of matches," said the official.
The president of the AHF is Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who was a former MHC president, and is also an International Hockey Federation elected Executive Board member.
