Sultan Azlan Shah Cup: Schedule, Format, Previous Winners

One of the leading international hockey tournaments, Sultan Azlan Shah Tournament is making its return after a two-year break on account of the Covid-19 pandemic. The tournament will begin on November 16 and the finale of the event will take place on November 25. The games will be held at the Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh. The matches are being held at the stadium since 2007. This will be the 30th edition of the event.

Malaysia, South Africa, Pakistan, Canada, and Japan have announced their participation in this competition. While invitation has been sent to World no. 01 Australia, Germany, India, New Zealand, and Canada to participate in the tournament. An Asian Hockey Federation member stated, “We are all set to host the Premier Azlan Shah Cup in November this year. We have invited six teams including India and Australia and we hope our invitation will be accepted.”

Sultan Azlan Shah Cup: Previous winners

In the last edition (2019) of the tournament, South Korea emerged as the winner. They defeated India 1-1 (4-2 in the shoot-off) to clinch their third title. India’s defender Surender Kumar was adjudged the Player of the Tournament. The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup is an invitational men’s hockey tournament conducted annually in Malaysia. Apart from the Azlan Shah Stadium, Kuala Lumpur and Penang have also hosted the games. Team Australia has won the maximum number of titles (10) in this competition. While India has managed to clinch the title on five occasions. Pakistan and South Korea have claimed the championships thrice.

Sultan Azlan Shah Cup: About the Tournament

The tournament started for the first time as a biennial competition in 1983. It became an annual event after 1998 due to its development and popularity. The tournament received its name from the former FIH Executive Board member Sultan Azlan Shah. The ninth Yang di-Pertuan Agong King of Malaysia, Sultan was also a huge fan of field hockey.