According to reliable sources in the Indian Hockey Federation, the 2010 Men’s World Cup has been alloted to India. The official announcement is likely to be made shortly (by tomorrow?) in a press conference in Delhi. The host city is however yet to be decided.

Indications of India getting the coveted Cup was well in the thick of air during the Monchengladbach World Cup last year September.

Presence of Leisure Sports Management’s Dasgupta, (LSM is the marketing arm of the IHF) further fuelled the speculation there.

On the face of it, the allotmet seems to be a goodwill gesture of FIH, which of late has been taking interest in arresting the deteriorating fortune of Indian hockey. It seems stick & carrot policy at work. Even since India hosted the Champions Trophy in 2005, the FIH has been catigating IHF, and now the sweet news of World Cup coming to India.

It seems the global hockey community does not want to miss the fact that India is hosting the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the climate the mega event would likely to generate – in terms of sports culture and associated commerical factors. India, as Bob Davidson, the FIH man in-charge of Promoting Indian Hockey Project, observed in his opening para of the report he submitted to IHF and IOA in November last year, is ‘ranked in the top ten of the world economies and ranks second in the list of fastest growing ecnomies of the world’. It is therefore ferverently hoped that the World Cup will be a tremendous success in terms of sponsorship and others. It is further hoped that the hosting of the mega event elevates the world hockey to a different level, as Indian cricket transformed the world cricket in the 90s and now.

This writer had a slight doubt over the India will be alloted the cup or not when came across a communication between IHF and Bob Davidzon. Perusal of the communication reveals the fact that India did not bid for the world cup as late as last year December. Therefore, Bob reminded of IHF to submit the bid before the first week of February 2007 and the bid should include financial government guarantees.

India’s date with World Cup is historical. the 1975 WOrld Cup, third in the order, which India won, was originally alloted to India, but due to change of guard at the Bombay Hockey Associtaion, the alloted host, it ran into trouble. The FIH therefore shifted it to Kuala Lumpur. India then was alloted the 1981 number, where the team led by late Surjit Singh finished fifth. Then as a student of Indian Institute of Technology, it was mu first encounter with the world cup. That was of course 25 years ago.

Leave all the nitty gritties now. It’s time to enjoy the moment.

Welcome World Cup to India.