BEST AND WORST OF 2008

BEST AND WORST OF THE YEAR GONE BY

Best Thing happened to Hockey: End of KPS Gill’s IHF regime

Worst Thing happened to Hockey: Premier Hockey League and National Championship not held

Hero of the Year: journalist Deepak Sharma who exposed corruption in a popular television

Most Highlighted Event of the Year: Olympic Qualification Failure

Best Comment by a foreigner: “I dont’ think we can work with a half suspended Secretary and a president who is probably linked because he protects his secretary in this case” by former FIH President Els van Breda Vriesman to K. Arumugam for PTI.

Best Comment by an Indian: Jude Felix: in the Times of India.

Casual Comment by an Administrator: Md. Aslam: “We will conduct Indian Hockey League”

Worst Comment by an Indian: “We are not concentrating on chhota mota tournaments like Asian Games or Commonwealth Games, but Olympics”, Ajit Pal Singh in a IOA Press Conference.

Comedy of the Year: The way MK Kaushik and other former Olympians went about scouting Men’s chief coach.

Amusement of the Year: National Selectors Reasoning of many events

Worst Match of the Year (Men): Chile Olympic Qualifier final against Great Britain

Best Match of the Year (Men): Junior Asia Cup Final when India bounced back to defeat Korea 3-2 after trailing 0-2 at one point.

Worst Match of the Year (Women): India’s pool match against Netherlands Antilles (Olympic Qualifier), where our women failed to stop the pushed ball in 7 out of 8 penalty corners.

Best Match of the Year (Women): Yet to come!!

Betrayal of the Year: When whole of India was up against Gill, Olympian M.P. Ganesh going to Gill’s house and getting the post of Selection Committee Chairman.

Most Illogical Comment of the Year: “With the huge amount we pay for Richard Charlesworth we can hire five Indian coaches’ by M.S. Gill, Sports Minister.

Absurdity of the Year: Upgrading Ajit Pal Singh as Selection Committee Chairman from member, as if that was the ill affecting the selection process.

Ugly Incident of the Year: Namdhari players hitting an umpire in the KSHA League

Beautiful Incident of the Year: Two great players Ignace Tirkey and Masira Surin in wedlock

Most Regretful Incident of the Year: Richard Charlesworth leaving India

Most Welcome Incident of the Year: Ad-hoc Committee’s firm resolve to bring a foreign coach.

Best Initiative of the Year: Schools hockey by many enthusiasts.

Best News Article of the Year: Centenary of Roop Singh in Hindustan Times.

Worst News Article of the Year: ‘Olympians Support Carvalho’ in Time of India(March 2008).

Perfidy of the Year: Joaquim Carvalho taking in Amit Kumar for Australia 4-Nation and playing him just under 10 minutes in the entire tour.

Double Game of the Year: NK Batra, after all his blitzkrieg in the media, trying to be in both rival camps of IHF tussle.

Most Irrelevant Incident of the Year: MP Ganesh resigning from IWHF treasurer, and KPS Gill attending an AHF meeting in Hyderabad.

Holiday of the Year: Amrit Bose, IWHF Secretary, went to Los Angeles to attend the FIH Congress, and yet to return India!!!!

Day Dreamer of the Year: JB Roy expecting to become the IHF president just by organizing a seminar.

Recall of the Year: Arjun Halappa

Surprise Achievement of the Year: Indian women defeating Japan in the race for Junior World Cup slot.

Good News of the Year: World Cup will be in Delhi in 2010

Mischief of the Year: KPS Gill canceling Junior tour to Poznan

Surprise of the Year: 90 percent of people who had 100 percent loyalty to KPS Gill easily changing sides and calling shots in the new dispensation as well.

Stupidity of the Year: IWHF President contesting for the FIH Vice-President post, and losing it by a margin of 70 votes in a electoral college of just above 80.

Media Event of the Year: Sting Operation by Aajtak television