NEW DELHI: India has formally made a bid to host the 12th Champions Trophy next year.

The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) has made this request to the International Hockey Federation (FIH) after Spain expressed its inability to host the championship.

The FIH had allotted the championship to Barcelona, the venue of 1992 Olympics. The Spanish hockey authorities have informed the FIH that due to certain “unavoidable circumstances” it will not be able to host the championship at Barcelona,

The FIH decision on the new venue of the championship is likely to be taken at its annual meeting Brussels in October.

The venue for this year’s Champions Trophy is Melbourne where India is not taking part as it was not among the first six in the last World Cup at Lahore in February this year.

Top six teams of the World Cup or Olympic Games, whichever six held later, are automatic qualifiers for the Champions Trophy, held annually.

The idea behind THF bidding for the Champions Trophy is to be back in the big league prior to the Olympics, as the host get an automatic entre into the championship.

A similar situation arose in 1987. When FIH had allotted the tournament to Holland, who were not in the first six in the London World Cup in 1986, having finished seventh. To accommodate the hosts, the FIH also had to accommodate Pakistan, the then reigning Olympic champions, as the eighth team. This was the only time that the format was expanded.

In normal circumstances, India can only play in the Champions Trophy if they finish in the first six in the Barcelona Olympics. But to play in the Olympics, India either have to win at the Beijing Asian Games or go through the motion of preOlympic qualifying rounds next year, likely to be played at Moscow.

The Champions Trophy donated by Pakistan, is staged every alternate year in that country. India is yet to host it.

The FIH has already allotted the championship to Pakistan for the 1992 and 1994 and Reading, England for 1993.

The IHF had earlier decided to bid for the 1995 toumament at an informal meeting with FIH officials during the BMW Tournament at Amsterdam in June last.

Article extracted from this publication >> August 31, 1990