Panel discusses gradation system

NEW DELHI: The first step towards introducing a graded system of annual payments to the hockey players was taken on Tuesday with the panel appointed by Hockey India (HI) meeting and agreeing to a few broad principles.

There was a broad understanding that there could be a gradation of players for annual contracts and players could be paid match fees, incentives for winning and daily allowances while being in camps and on trips abroad.

The panel will have more discussions on these topics before finalising its proposals.

Fallout of strike

It may be recalled that the Indian team probables had gone on strike in Pune while preparing for the World Cup and only relented after the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President, Suresh Kalmadi, intervened and agreed to pay them incentives.

The women players, in a training camp in Bhopal, wore black arm-bands to protest against non-payment of incentives and rejected the offer of HI to pay Rs. 50,000 each to them.

Eventually the women received a total of more than Rs. 4 lakh each, thanks to the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, after the men were paid a similar amount by team sponsor Sahara to end their strike.

Olympians Ajitpal Singh, M. P. Ganesh, Zafar Iqbal, Dhanraj Pillay and Jagbir Singh (convenor) met on Tuesday along with special invitees to the panel, HI President Vidya Stokes and Secretary-General Narinder Batra.

The panel also included the captains of the men and women’s teams, Rajpal Singh and Surinder Kaur, and the coaches, Harendra Singh and M.K. Kaushik.

Kalmadi had brokered peace at Pune only after assuring the players that their demands would be looked into before the World Cup. In the aftermath of the Pune revolt, A. K. Mattoo resigned as HI president. — Special Correspondent