High-level delegation from the FIH will be present
HYDERABAD: The ad hoc panel governing Indian hockey will soon come out with a comprehensive long-term programme ‘Vision 2012’ with the specific target of seeing the country in the 2012 London Olympics hockey competition.
Aslam Sher Khan, chairman of the newly-appointed ad hoc selection panel, said a high-level delegation from the FIH will be present and after a serious debate, the Vision 2012 document will be given a final shape.
Top priority
“Our top priority is to see India back in Olympics. The failure to qualify for the Beijing Games is the biggest disappointment in recent memory for Indian hockey,” he said.
“It is a fact that India had the best opportunity in 2002 to forge a team that could have brought laurels to the sport over a long period at the highest level but for the failure of the officials concerned in giving the right support to the team with a perfect blend of seniors and juniors,” he said.
The former Olympian also stressed the players earlier were always insecure and even the performing coaches were thrown out after showing good results, thus shattering the morale of everyone concerned in the sport.
“We are now keen to send the message across to the fraternity that the new set-up is for the players and nothing else. There will be nothing unusual in selection process for various national teams,”
Aslam Sher Khan said “things are bound to change for the good now. The fear psychosis amongst the players has to go. That is one of our first objectives. Performing players will be given priority and nothing else.”
Assurance
He assured that the ad hoc panel had enough powers vested with it to oversee the selection matters while pointing out that the panel on administrative matters has an equally enviable task of taking corrective measures to stem the rot.
Referring to the match-fixing allegations featuring India-Malaysia match in the last Azlan Shah Trophy, Aslam Sher Khan felt it was unfortunate that these things have come up at the wrong time for Indian hockey which just started looking up.
He asserted that they had not taken up the job for the craze of any post or a foreign assignment with the Indian team.
“We will quit the scene when we feel that everything is in safe hands. We have no fancy or glamour for any posts. We are here for the love of the sport,” he said while monitoring the selection trials, in the company of Ajitpal Singh, Ashok Kumar, Zafar Iqbal and Dhanraj Pillay, to pick the Indian team for the forthcoming Junior Aisa Cup at Gachibowli hockey complex.