Indian Coaches at Beijing — and When?

Barry Dancer, Australian coach, spent an hour with MK Kaushik on the sidelines of Beijing Olympic hockey stadium. Both discussed the system and strategies that will be on show in the Olympic competition all set to start in 48 hours’ time.

Harendera caught set piece drills of Germany and Holland during their training sessions and recorded them in his laptop, using his web camera. Returning to his hotel, he used ‘Coach’ to study those and was happy he could make out the new insights into these two superpowers. He can now almost predict what will happen in the coming days at Beijing.

AK Bansal, using his PHL contacts, established contact with leading players and had quite a long discussion. The players were happy to spot him there and opened their hearts about their preparations. Returning to his hotel, Bansal made a sketch in his newly acquired laptop. Beaming Bansal told an Indian journalist that he will continue to interact with players to know their mind.

AB Subbaiah was even more lucky. He could watch and then talk to almost all the leading goalkeepers in Beijing. He could get an idea on the new techniques they are going to employ in the next fortnight. The goalkeeper-coach is keeping high spirit and looking forward to next fortnight.

Each day all the four coaches deputed by the IOA Ad-hoc Committee to watch the Olympics collect around a dining table in the Olympic village. They developed camaraderie among themselves and spend almost three hours exchanging their views.

About a dozen Indian journalists who are there to catch athletes in action, visit these four coaches daily. They are happy the coaches are on the job, and file their reports which almost read: “Indian hockey’s think tanks on spy mission’.

The Indian sportsworld might be thinking the things mentioned above are taking place. Because every paper they read and television channel they tuned on last week highlighted IOA to send four coaches to Beijing on probing mission.

But dear friends, announcements are something, but what actually happens is something else. The truth is that these four coaches will go to Beijing on 16th, 8 days after the Olympic commenced!!!!

Why all these coaches will go to Beijing 8 days after the Olympic started, and almost 50 percent of hockey matches will be over, is not known?

There is no one to clarify us. Because those administrators who announced the decision in a press conference are already in Beijing. Till our coaches go there, they will watch the games in the Olympic spirit before handing over the baton to these coaches on 16th or 17th. Olympic solidarity indeed.

THE FACT: KAUSHIK, BANSAL, SUBBAIH AND HARENDRA WILL BE GOING TO BEIJING ON 16th. IT IS OFFICIAL.