The stadium now is new, whose turf had been inaugurated by the then FIH president Leondro Negre. The matches will be telecast Live starting a week from now. Social media will be active and you will get to know everything thro Mojo, where anyone who has a mobile, can give you a picture or a stat if not his or her opinion. The event now has a million dollar worth title sponsor.
The situation 32 years ago was in contrast. There were no Live telecast. No title sponsor. No Mojo obviously. But the Second Asia Cup that the capital city Dhaka hosted in 1985 is fresh in hockey lovers’ memory.
This was the first major international tournament of its kind this city hosted.
With India and Pakistan, who commanded respect for their winning artistic game, excitement was at its peak.
When the continental giants India and Pakistan vied for the title on the final day, about 50,000 fans filled the stands.
All those have forgotten all the 20 matches held so far in the preceding eight days.
Even the contest in which the hosts had lost to the reigning Olympic champions and also the defending champions Pakistan by merely a flattering 0-1 score.
India-Pak tie did not disappoint. It was full of thrill and suspense, more so as India kept on earning penalty corners and then poor at converting.
Ultimately, it was Pakistan which defended the title it won in Lahore three years ago.
Only difference being it conceded a few goals in the week while its defence was impeccable at home.
However, history proved the coming of South Korea, which won the bronze here. In the editions to come and the decades to come, South Korea had challenged successfully the might of the Dhaka giants, and here lies the beautiful history of Asia Cup, which is now on its 35th year.
STATS 1985 ASIA CUP, DHAKA, BANGLADESH:
Teams: 10
Medallists: Pak, India, South Korea
Total goals: 133
India: 33
Pakistan 31
South Korea 19
Total matches: 21
No of drawn tie: 3