Indira Gandhi hockey set for revival

Sahil Sharma

New Delhi

THE LONG-FORGOTTEN Indira Gandhi International Men’s Hockey tournament is on the verge of revival as Indian hockey’s ad-hoc committee is planning to host it next year after a gap if 11 years. The responsibility for organising the tournament has been vested with the Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Trust (JNST), which has approached the top seven teams – Olympic champions Germany, Australia, the Netherlands, Pakistan, South Africa, Spain and South Korea – for participating in the event “The revival process is underway and we will be giving final shape to it before the next ad-hoc committee meeting in December,” said Zafar Iqbal, an ad-hoc committee member. Initially Delhi’s name was being proposed as the venue, but with the National Stadium and the Shivaji Stadium under renovation for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the tournament will most likely be shifted to Gurgaon. The tournament was a huge success when it was launched in 1987 at Lucknow despite the venue being on the outskirts of the city. The venue was then shifted to Delhi in 1995 and only three more editions were held – the last being in 1997 – after which the tournament fizzled out of the international calendar, thanks to the callous attitude of Indian Hockey Federation. “We are looking forward to the return of this prestigious tournament. Things are shaping up and we are hoping that some generous sponsor brings in the much needed moolah,” said Iqbal. JNST is looking for the period between March and April 2009 to organise the tournament that was launched in memory of late Indira Gandhi following her assassination in 1984.Some of the teams, however, are unlikely to agree to the March-April slot, as they would be playing in the Euro league during that period. sahil.sharma@hindustantimes.com