IHF units join hands for seminar

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Printed Article in Times of India, 11.9.2008

NEW DELHI: With Indian hockey facing turbulent times, the Bengal Hockey Association (BHA) in association with Sahara India Pariwar organised a seminar to discuss the future of Indian hockey and ways and means of restoring its lost glory, at the Aamby Valley City on Tuesday.

Delegates from about 30 affiliated units of the now disbanded Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) and some Olympians participated in the well-attended seminar. Also present were Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Suresh Kalmadi and Suniel Shetty, noted Bollywood actor.

Kalmadi, incidentally, also heads the ad-hoc body which is looking after the sport after the IOA dissolved the IHF in April this year in the wake of India failing to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.

The seminar was held in the backdrop of an emerging but veiled battle for control of the IHF. Pressure is being put on the ad-hoc body to put in place the new IHF body quickly. Kalmadi has even responded to it by promising that elections for the new body would be held before the year-end.

Addressing the seminar, Kalmadi said, “I’m concerned with the present state of Indian hockey but this seminar will certainly help in providing a successful dimension to the game in the coming days.” Kalmadi also said that the IHF should to be run by a professional CEO.

Meanwhile, J B Roy, president of the BHA, hoped that all 41 affiliated units of the IHF would work together to take Indian hockey to greater heights in the near future. BHA secretary Gurbux Singh stressed that a ‘legitimate and powerful body comprising of new office-bearers’ was needed to take the game further.

Roy, a press release claimed, was authorised by the affiliated units of the IHF to talk to the IOA on their behalf.