Olympian blames incompetent officials behind hocky crisis

JAMSHEDPUR: Expressing concern over the prevailing situation in Indian hockey, former Olympian Harbhajan Singh on Sunday blamed few incompetent officials for the present crisis that the national game is finding itself in.

“These officials hardly had anything to do with sports activities but grabbed the top posts to fulfil their own interests,” Singh said.

Singh, the first Indian to have represented the country in two sports disciplines (handball and basketball) at international meets including in the 1980 Moscow Olympics (Basketball), also alleged that some of the officials had conspired against former Hockey India (HI) President AK Mattoo to recently oust him.

“Everything is not well in Hockey India.” He also wondered as what prompted Suresh Kalmadi, the President of Indian Olympics Association (IOA) to intervene when Mattoo was holding talks with hockey players over the issue of their outstanding dues.

Singh, who was the vice-captain of Indian handball team at the 2nd Asian handball championship held at Nanking, China in 1979, said that the prestige of the country is at stake with the next month’s Hockey World Cup in Delhi.

He suggested that the hockey officials as well as IOA must learn something from IPL commissioner Lalit Modi, who has been organising cricket championships with overwhelming success and within the stipulated timeframe.