Stats: Women's Asia Cup hockey

The eight edition of the Women’s Asia Cup will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from September 21. Here are some interesting stats ahead of the tournament.

• The inaugural women’s Asia Cup hockey tournament was held in Seoul, Korea in 1985
• Korea have won the women’s Asia Cup on most occasions – three times
• Japan have finished runners-up the most number of times – they finished second best thrice
• India’s only Asia Cup win came in the 2004 edition in front of their home crowd when they overcame Japan by a solitary goal in the final
• India have finished runners-up twice in 1999 and 2009

• South Korea and Japan have featured in every women’s Asia Cup so far
• India did not play in the inaugural women’s Asia Cup at Seoul in 1985
• The 3^rd women’s Asia Cup at Hiroshima in 1993 was the first time that the event was played in a group phase and not on a round-robin basis as was the case in the first two editions in 1985 and 1989
• Japan’s 21-0 thrashing of Sri Lanka is the biggest victory margin in the women’s Asia Cup – this win came in the 2005 edition in New Delhi
• China’s 5-3 win over India in the 2009 edition in Bangkok is the biggest winning margin in an Asia Cup final

• South Korea became the first team to win the women’s Asia Cup as a host nation in the inaugural edition in 1985 in Seoul
• India became the second side after South Korea to win the women’s Asia Cup as a host nation in the 2005 edition in New Delhi
• Uzbekistan made its Asia Cup debut in the 1993 edition
• India became the first team to finish runners-up as a host nation in the women’s Asia Cup in the 1999 edition in New Delhi
• Japan’s 7-6 win over Korea in the 2007 women’s Asia Cup was the only final where a penalty shootout was required

• Kazakhstan made its Asia Cup debut in the 1999 edition
• Sri Lanka made its Asia Cup debut in the 2005 edition and ended up leaking 37 goals from three games including a 0-21 walloping at the hands of Japan
• India have never beaten China in women’s Asia Cup – losing to them five times and drawing thrice in eight meetings so far
• India’s biggest defeat in the women’s Asia Cup came in the 1989 edition in Hong Kong where they lost 2-6 to Japan
• Hong Kong and India have hosted the women’s Asia Cup on most occasions – they staged it twice
• 12 countries have taken part in the women’s Asia Cup so far