The Hockey Champions Trophy is an event held annually by the International Hockey Federation (since 1978). Founded by Pakistan's Air Marshal Nur Khan, it features the world's top-ranked field hockey teams competing in a round robin format. The Pakistan Hockey Federation started the competition as a men's tournament in 1978. The tournament has been an annual affair since 1980 for men and since 1987 for women.
In the men's tournament, the Australians have won the trophy twelve, the Germans nine, and the Dutch eight times. Pakistan is the only Asian champion, with three titles to its name including the first two in 1978 and 1980. In the women's tournament both the Netherlands and Australia have won the trophy six times, while Argentina won five titles.
Six teams qualify for the championship, though the first edition had five teams, the second had seven and 1987 had eight. 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.
The last placed team in the tournament is dropped and replaced by the winner of the Champions Challenge, which was introduced in 2001 and can be considered as the Champions Trophy for so called B-nations.
Famous quotes containing the word champions:
“Myths and legends die hard in America. We love them for the extra dimension they provide, the illusion of near-infinite possibility to erase the narrow confines of most men’s reality. Weird heroes and mould-breaking champions exist as living proof to those who need it that the tyranny of “the rat race” is not yet final.”
—Hunter S. Thompson (b. 1939)