Gold-winning India U-18 hockey team begins camp at Panjab University

Chandigarh: Panjab University Monday welcomed the Indian men’s U-18 hockey team as a national coaching camp commenced on its campus ahead of the AHF Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship 2026.Organised in collaboration with Hockey India, the camp will run till July 18 and serve as India’s final preparation for the continental event scheduled to be held in Muscat, Oman, from July 20 to 25.Vice-chancellor Prof Renu Vig inaugurated the camp and felicitated the players, coaches and support staff. Calling it a proud moment for the university, she noted that a national-level Indian hockey camp had returned to the campus after more than five decades, with the last such camp being held in 1975.Congratulating the players on their national selection, Prof Vig urged them to continue striving for excellence and bring laurels to the country in the upcoming championship. She also highlighted Panjab University’s rich sporting legacy and long association with Indian hockey, which has produced several international players over the years. She invited Hockey India to hold more national camps at the university in future.

Director of Sports Dr Rakesh Malik welcomed the players and officials.Former India captain and head coach of the U-18 team, Sardar Singh, thanked the university authorities for making arrangements for the camp at short notice and lauded the quality of the hockey infrastructure on the campus.Camp coordinator Dr Gurcharan Singh Gill, assistant coach Rajnish Mishra, physical trainer Damanpreet Singh, physiotherapist Sahil and former international referee Rajender Gandhi were also honoured during the function.The 15-member camp features Karan Gautam, Arman Soreng, Sawan Kumar, Ansh Bahutra, Arshdeep Singh, Ketan Kushwaha, Shahrukh Ali, Rahul Yadav, Romit Pal, Ashish Tani Purti, Akashdeep, Avi Manikpuri, Siddharth Ben, Prahalad Rajbhar and Ayush Rajak.Notably, all 15 players were part of the Indian team that recently clinched the U-18 Men’s Asia Cup title, defeating hosts Japan 4-1 in the final.The two-week camp will focus on fine-tuning the players’ tactical and technical skills in the Hockey5s format ahead of the Asian championship.