FIH says no to IHF, HI compromise

The “temporary arrangement” between India’s warring hockey bodies has run into trouble, with the world body on Friday shooting down the compromise, saying “it fails to resolve the fundamental underlying issues that have blighted Indian hockey for so long.” In a strongly-worded letter to the sports ministry, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has called for an urgent meeting with Hockey India and the Indian Olympic Association, to resolve the matter.

“The FIH has expressed to the Indian sports minister its grave concern about the ‘settlement’ recently announced… It is a fundamental and non-negotiable requirement of the Olympic Charter and the FIH Statutes (and indeed of the Indian government’s own guidelines and draft sports bill) that there can only be one governing body for a sport in each country with exclusive authority and responsibility to govern, organise national competitions and to enter national teams in international competitions,” the world body said.

It also threatened that India could lose out as hosts on the international tournaments. “The FIH executive board has decided that it is neither possible nor appropriate to continue with the discussions with HI to host tournaments in India over the next four year cycle, particularly the FIH men’s Champions Trophy in December this year, and the men’s and women’s Olympic qualifying tournaments in 2012.” On development, ministry officials said they were still awaiting details from the world body. Said one official, “The FIH should understand that it is a temporary arrangement till 2012, and best suited to run the sport in the country. We never said it was a merger.

“If the Supreme Court of the country has called for a joint body, we will have to abide by it.”