Hockey tussle set to flare up

M.S. Unnikrishnan

The hockey tussle is set to flare up again as Hockey India has not taken kindly to the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI’s) decision to let out the Major Dhyan Chand (MDC) National Stadium to the Indian Hockey Federation-Nimbus combine to conduct the opening ceremony and some of the league match of the World Series Hockey, from December 17 to January 22.

Hockey India secretary-general Narinder Batra, in a letter to SAI secretary Gopalkrishnan on November 28, had informed that the men’s coaching camp will start from December 11 and will go on till the Olympic qualifiers to be held at the MDC Stadium from February 15, 2012. Batra has asked the SAI to release Pitch 1 and 2 of the stadium for the men’s camp.

Batra, in his letter, has also noted that the women’s camp will be held from December 27 till the Olympic qualifiers and Hockey India wants all the three artificial pitches for holding the men’s and women’s camps.

Batra explained that besides the camps, two countries each in the men’s and women’s sections will be arriving in Delhi in early January, to play 12 Test matches with the hosts and the matches will go on till the end of January.

Batra cautioned the SAI and the Sports Ministry that “in case the stadium is given to Nimbus to conduct their league at the cost of upsetting and spoiling the training schedule of the men’s and women’s teams, then there will be total mess and confusion at the stadium”.

He felt that in such a crowded stadium, the programme fixed by the Chief Coach (Michael Nobbs) and the exercise physiologist for building of players to peak for the Olympic qualifiers will be nullified.

Batra warned that the foreign teams for the Test series “may not come due to lack of security at the stadium and the FIH (International Hockey Federation) may instruct them not to go since an FIH-unsanctioned event is happening simultaneously at the venue”.

Batra recalled that the Sports Ministry had given an assurance to FIH in September 2011 that it will not support any FIH-unsanctioned event and by this, it will be evident that the ministry is supporting the WSH at the cost of training and preparation of the National teams for the Olympic qualifiers.

“This will have its natural repercussions at the FIH and also lower the prestige of the country,” Batra argued.

He said the Sports Ministry’s legacy plan should have been to “encourage NSFs (National Sports Federations) to conduct international tournaments at the CWG (Commonwealth Games) venues but in this case, it seems a private business house is being encouraged at the cost of 12 Test matches by the NSF in January, which are integral part of the team-preparation for the Olympic qualifiers.

“India has got a very good pool and an excellent chance of qualifying in the men’s section for the Olympics. Kindly do not allow that to get spoiled,” Batra added.

HI has also pointed out that the huge rent of Rs 2.65 crore plus electricity to be charged for using the MDC Stadium for the Olympic qualifiers was far beyond its capacity to pay, as the rent in effect will work out to a whopping Rs 22 lakh per day.

“The cost is abnormally way beyond our resources and we may have to look for an alternate venue and in case we do not get an alternate venue, then we will have to express regret to the FIH immediately so that they have sufficient time to relocate both the men’s and women’s Olympic qualifiers,” Batra noted.