Polls need of the hour

Stickwork

Gurbux Singh

From being in the doldrums to finding itself in a state of flux; the crisis in Indian hockey continues.

The Delhi high court decision quashing the ban on K.P.S. Gill’s Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) makes the situation more fluid even as the wind of change blowing from the Union ministry of sports fans the flames of a fire that threatens to engulf Olympic sport in India.

Wher

e hockey is concerned, the equation is simple. The body recognised by the international hockey federation (FIH) will be the one calling the shots.

The dice, then, is heavily loaded in favour of Hockey India since it is part of the same Indian Olympic Association (IOA) that disaffiliated the IHF and, after wresting control in the administrations of the men’s and women’s game, is now trying to wield power forever.

Personally, I support the government move to limit the tenures of sport bosses —a regulation that also affects me. But more than constitutional stipulations it is the question of elections that the hockey establishment has to answer first. To say that the hockey elections are long overdue is an understatement. The oft-negotiated deadline will be missed again especially now that the sports ministry has directed Hockey India to put on hold its plans for the polls that the FIH wanted done by May 31.

What Indian hockey needs is for all stakeholders — FIH, IHF, HI, IOA and, very importantly, the affiliated units — to come together and sort out the several issues that plague the establishment, all the time keeping in mind the goal, which should be the holding of free and fair elections. Otherwise, I see nothing but dark clouds and gloom.

The game provided the silver lining this month with the boys finishing joint winners in Azlan Shah. The quality of the competition remained poor — most nations sending development sides — and the only teams of any consequence were Pakistan, Malaysia and South Korea.

Still, beating Pakistan, as the team did in the group stages, always gives satisfaction and results like this will help us regain supremacy in the region, which, as I have written in these columns before, is a first step towards greater glory.

But I was shocked to read Sardara Singh’s view, that the real challenge was the Asian Games with the Commonwealth Games being something of a ‘festival’ tournament.

In my opinion, the Commonwealth Games ranks alongside the Olympic Games, the World Cup and the Champions Trophy in the level and quality of competition and the team would do well to take it seriously.