IWHF meeting illegal: Stokes

New Delhi: Hockey India President, Vidya Stokes, has termed the meeting that was reportedly convened by the Indian Women’s Hockey Federation (IWHF) here on June 12 as ‘illegal’.

In a release on Thursday, Mrs. Stokes, who is also the president of the IWHF, said that the meeting called by “a few individuals of former IWHF” was illegal/invalid “since it is not called by the president or with the approval of the president.”

Mrs. Stokes, however did not state in the release that she was the IWHF president. The IWHF was disaffiliated by the IOA before the formation of Hockey India.

The IWHF meeting was apparently convened to take stock of the situation arising out of the Delhi High Court order that quashed the disaffiliation and de-recognition of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the Union Sports Ministry.

The IHF has already stated that it is interested in a merger with the IWHF, given the failure of such a merger in 2000 and the existence of such a merged body (Indian Hockey Confederation) for the past nine years, though without recognition from either the IOA or the ministry.

Hockey India has also convened a Special General meeting here on June 14 to proceed with the affiliation process and to set the stage for elections.

Mrs. Stokes claimed on Thursday that as per the minutes of a meeting convened by the Union Sports Ministry in April last year IWHF Secretary Amrit Bose “informed that IWHF has already conveyed its written acceptance to IOA for the proposed merger, and would comply with all the requirements in this regard.”

Claims and counter claims have aggravated an already-confusing scenario with regard to hockey administration and now it is difficult to make out which body has a particular recognition or which recognition or affiliation would be required for a body to run the affairs of hockey in the country.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) still recognizes Hockey India though it wants an elected body at the earliest. The May 31 deadline given to HI for conducting the elections has passed.

HI also has the affiliation with the IOA. Its recognition by the Sports Ministry has been suspended pending elections.

“The IWHF, as of today is a de-recognised body”, said a ministry spokesman on Thursday. “We had de-recognised them (in March, 2009) since they had outlived their tenure. But in the light of recent developments, we are looking at the whole issue (again). We have decided to send our observer to all these meetings including that convened by the IWHF,” he added. — Special Correspondent