Much at stake as India hosts hockey World Cup in a month

NEW DELHI: Exactly a month from now, the Major Dhyanchand National Stadium in the Indian capital will host the World Cup hockey, a championship involving top 12 hockey playing nations in an event that has been dubbed as the dress rehearsal for the mega sporting event in October, the Commonwealth Games.

It is after 28 years that India would be hosting the hockey World Cup, a far cry from the days when they were among the top hockey-playing nations of the world, having last won the Cup way back in 1975.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is serious with the promotion of the World Cup. Infact, it will be a test event for FIH for many such big hockey tournaments in near future. They have already tied up with corporates like Hero Honda and SAIL as commercial partners of the event.

FIH chief Leandro Negre has time and again underlined India’s importance in the hockey world.

“The World Cup will act as a catalyst for Indian hockey. We know that the sport has a huge following in the country and we just have to promote hockey in the right way. This event will serve as a new beginning,” says Negre.

Much is riding on the success of the tournament, considering that it comes just eight months before the Commonwealth Games and that questions have been raised about India’s ability to host the mega-event in October.

But events of the past few weeks, like the postponement of Hockey India (HI) elections and the players revolt over non-payment of dues, have shown the country’s hockey organisers in poor light.

The Major Dhyanchand National Stadium, named after one of India’s hockey ‘wizards’, has been refurbished at a cost of Rs 262 crore ($57 million). It encompasses 36 acres in the heart of New Delhi and was the venue for the first Asian Games in 1951.

Hockey India’s new general secretary Narendra Batra says the federation is all geared up to showcase India. “We are aware of the responsibility that it is one of the biggest sporting event of an Olympic discipline and we have to showcase India in front of the world,” Batra said.

“The election issue is separate. Our preparations are going on at full pace. The governing body for the event, constituting members of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), FIH and HI, are taking care of the everything.”

“The lodging, transport and ticketing arrangements have been made. Some of the teams are directly in touch with the hotels because they want food of their choice. We will soon announce the names of the outlets and banks from where tickets can be bought.”
“We are not leaving anything as far as the promotion of the event is concerned. We have already started to show the advertisements and more television commercials will come up in the coming days. We are sure that it is going to be one of the best organised events in India.”

Hockey aficionados have no doubt that the fare will be excellent what with Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, Spain and South Korea in the fray.

Beijing Olympic gold medal winners Germany will be aiming to become the first team to make it a hat-trick of World Cup titles. Champions Trophy winners Australia, Beijing Olympics silver medallists Spain and new Asian giant South Korea will make for exciting matches. And you can never write off four-times World Champions Pakistan.

Interestingly, India are placed alongside Pakistan in the same group and the two fiercest rivals will turn back the clock when they meet on the very first day of the tournament under floodlights.

“We hope that the match will be the best match of the tournament,” says Pakistan captain Zeeshan Ashraf.

Even the organisers would hope so for the success of the tournament.