Hockey India has announced a combined Selection Committee for men and women, which is common for various age group teams.

In the past, Selection Committees are constituted for different age groups. However, this compact, single group is preferable than to many groups working in different directions.

The new Selection Committee members, whose tenure is for a year, are :

Col. Balbir Singh – Olympian, Arjuna Awardee and 1966 Gold Medalist Asian Games Bangkok

Muneer Sait – Olympian 1968 Mexico

B.P. Govinda – Olympian, member 1975 Gold Medalist World Cup and captain Asian Games 1978

Ms. Madhu Yadav – Arjuna Awardee, 1982 Gold Medalist Asian Games and former India captain

Ms. Sita Mehta – Arjuna Awardee, 2002 Gold Medalist Commonwealth Games and former India captain

Col Balbir Singh, a former men and women’s coach, has been a prominent selector also in the past. He has been one of the Advisors for Punjab Sports Department which embarked on grassroot development for hockey in the recent past.

He brings with him a vast knowledge of coaching and training in both men and women spheres.

Munir Sait’s inclusion is expected especially after the FIH president openly spoke of his friendship with him. FIH president being the most sought after personality, catalyst in the making of Indian hockey set up, one is not surprised of his inclusion. This is a clever step by the mandarins of Hockey India. Munir has been Tournament Director for many leading FIH and AHF tournaments, but of late he shares his services and loyalties between Squash and Racing as well.

BP Govinda is an old horse in the sphere of National Selection, and is hardly known to have taken independent views. For him it is a comeback, business as usual again.

Madhu Yadav gets reward for her bold stand against former IWHF Secretary Amrit Bose. Yadav, from Madhya Pradesh, is a known critic of Bose and her style of funcioning.

Sita Mehta is undoubtedly a great player of our times, whose whole playing career has been watched by this writer. She has often been in the government panels, and is expected to lend a big hand for women hockey now.

Exit of Amrit Bose is a great happening in the post-Chile hullabullo. Sita, Madhu, and Bula (Lucknow) are expected to shoulder the women sport for whatever period the present Hockey India would hold its fort.

I am not sure about men, but women’s coach Kaushik should be a happy man with the latest developments.

Incidentally, Kaushik pipped Col. Balbir for the Men’s chief coach post after Utrecht World Cup fiasco.