Liberals hockey from December 24
Thirty sixth edition of the Liberals All-India hockey tournament will be held at Nabha from December 24 at the newly-laid turf of Punjab Public School Nabha. Liberals Hockey Tournament is the oldest national level hockey tournament of Punjab which has been successfully held annually for the last 35 years without a break.
It has been recognized as a Grade-A hockey tournament by the Indian Hockey Fedration/Hockey India and continues to attract top hockey teams of the country for the last 35 years.
Teams from Pakistan and Bangladesh have also participated in this tournament during the previous years and a couple of teams from Pakistan were keen to take part this year also but could not come due to visa problems.
As in the past many olympians and international hockey stars are expected to display their skill during the week-long tournament in which 20 prominent teams will lock horns to lift the trophy.
Besides last years champions Punjab & Sind Bank Delhi and runners-up Western Railway Mumbai, the teams that have confirmed their entry in the tournament are Punjab Police, BSF, ITBP, Corps of Signals, EME from Jalandhar, CISF, Rock Rovers & Haryana XI from Chandigarh, Air Force, Northern Railway & CRPF from New Delhi, J & K Police Jammu, Hawks Ropar, Sports Hostel Lucknow , Sikh Regimental centre Ramgarh Cantt (Jharkhand), North West academy Dhudike, PSEB Patiala and Western Central Railway Jabalpur.