Women’s team physio dropped at the last minute

Navneet Singh

Barely had the dust settled on the controversy surrounding Hockey India’s skills -or the lack of it -to conduct the men’s hockey nationals at Bhopal, when another storm has started brewing.

This time around, it’s the women’s national team, scheduled to participate in the Champions Challenge tournament at Dublin (Ireland), which is in the news for the wrong reasons.

For reasons unknown, Vandana, the regular team physio appointed by the Sports Authority of India to take care of the players in the camp, has been dropped at the last minute and Dina Kumari -also a physio who had joined the camp two days before the team’s departure -has been placed at the helm.

Vandana, who had been working with the players since the camp began in the Capital, refused to talk, but confirmed that she wasn’t going.

“It’s better you talk to the coach or Hockey India officials,“ she said on the eve of the team’s departure.

It is learnt that Vandana has been asked to join the team later.
Team coach CR Kumar wasn’t available for comments. HI secretary-general, Narinder Batra, too didn’t responded to calls.

Anupam Gulati, the HI media coordinator, said, “How does it matter which physio accompanies the team.“