Champions Trophy (field hockey)

The Champions Trophy is the International Hockey Federation's most prestigious annual event (since 1980). It features the world's top-ranked teams competing in a round robin format. The Pakistan Hockey Federation started the competition as a men's tournament in 1978 and it was only as late as 1987 that the first women's tournament took place.

Related Topics:
International Hockey Federation - 1980 - Round robin - Pakistan Hockey Federation - 1978 - 1987

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Pakistan, the only Asian country to win the tournament so far, have won the trophy thrice -- twice when they hosted the tournament in Lahore, in the inaugural years in 1978 and 1980. After 1980, the tournament became an annual affair.

Related Topics:
Pakistan - Lahore

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Six teams qualify for the championship, though the first edition had five teams and the second had seven. In the year following the Olympics or a World Cup, the six teams include the host, the defending champion, the world champion and the next highest ranked teams from either the most recent World Cup or Olympic Games.

Related Topics:
Olympics - World Cup

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The last placed team in the tournament is dropped and replaced by the winner of the recently-introduced Champions Challenge.

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Only four nations have able to win the trophy between 1978 and 2001: Pakistan (three times), The Netherlands (5), Australia (7) and Germany (8).

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India's best showing is a third place in the fourth edition at Amstelveen, the Netherlands.

Related Topics:
India - Amstelveen

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The 18th edition, in Madras (now known as Chennai), in 1996, was the last time India, as hosts, figured in the tournament. The team finished fourth.

Related Topics:
Chennai - 1996

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