New Delhi, July 30: Hoping to get Indian hockey back on track by the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the sports ministry has approved six coaches for different age-categories, a technical advisor for the national team and support staff which will include an analyst, a sports medicine expert, a physiotherapist, a physiologist, a yoga expert and a masseur.
It has also asked for the list of probables for the men’s and women’s teams to be kept at 48 and 36 respectively, and in both cases, the probables will be retained until team selection for the New Delhi Games.
The ad-hoc committee, which meets on on Thursday, will discuss these plans along with who should be picked as coach and who should manage national teams at the junior and sub-junior levels. The agenda, circulated to the members, lists “Future of Indian Hockey” as the main topic of discussion.
Battery of coaches
“Preparing of the men’s team for the Commonwealth Games 2010” is also on the list. Other topics include selection of a battery of coaches and drawing up an annual calendar that will include both national and international tournaments.
Speaking to the The Indian Express, convenor of the ad-hoc committee Mohammad Aslam Khan said that members have been asked to suggest 15 names for the coach’s job, after which the committee will invite top hockey personalities to sift through the list and recommend six coaches to be appointed in phases.
As for the foreign coach, Aslam said top hockey players will be asked to suggest names before those short-listed are interviewed.
“But the person appointed will be the Technical Advisor, not a foreign coach,” he clarified. “He will be overall in charge of all our future programmes.”
The committee also hopes to revive the Indira Gold Cup Hockey along with other events such as the national championships. “The dates and venues of the national championships will be discussed tomorrow,” said Aslam Khan.
by R Ramachandran