WSH could hurt Olympic dream: Rajpal

Shayan Acharya, TNN

JAIPUR: The hockey enthusiasts might have found a new reason to celebrate with the World Series Hockey (WSH), but this lucrative event has put the Indian hockey team in a bit of a spot.

Considered the next big thing after the Indian Premier League, WSH has now raised serious questions over India’s Olympic qualifying process.

At a time when all focus should be on the qualifiers, the involvement of the players in the WSH has raised many eyebrows. The WSH starts on Dec 17 and will be over only on Jan 22, giving the team barely a couple of weeks to prepare for the Olympic qualifiers.

With senior players like Arjun Halappa, Sardara Singh and Sandeep Singh signing up for the event, India captain Rajpal Singh says it would be difficult to keep the momentum going.

“The Olympic qualifiers are the most important thing at the moment. We are all gearing up to put our best effort, but with the WSH happening in December-January, it would be a big distraction for the players.

“WSH offers huge money, which is really difficult to resist, but then, Olympics should be the priority. Of course, practice would be hampered,” Rajpal told TOI.

Making it clear that they are concentrating on the Champions Challenge to be held in South Africa later this month, Rajpal added: “We are not discussing about WSH with the players, as it may lead to grievances. I really don’t know what will happen. The players need to decide whether money is more important than representing the country in Olympics.”

Echoing Rajpal’s views, Olympian and ex-national selector Gurbax Singh feels the WSH should have been organised after the qualification process. “The tussle between Hockey India (HI) and Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) is taking a toll on Indian hockey. WSH is an alluring offer for every hockey player, but it will adversely affect their Olympic chances. We failed to qualify for the Beijing Games last time, and if the same thing happens again, hockey will be finished in India.”

However, organisers IHF and Nimbus Sports claim that WSH would not have a negative impact on India’s Olympic qualifiers.

Former India coach and IHF official Joaquim Carvalho said the WSH would help the players get accustomed to international standards before the Olympics. “There’s no point slamming the WSH. The players’ participation has clearly indicated that they are supporting the tournament. I don’t agree to the fact that the WSH is going to have a negative effect on the Indian team,” Carvalho said.

Hockey India officials refused to comment on the issue.