Times Of India
NEW DELHI: Organisers of the 2010 Hockey World Cup are afraid that advancing the event by a week may not be enough and the final of the event may
still coincide with the third edition of the Indian Premier League.
A day before the IPL governing council meets in Mumbai tomorrow, the organisers of the hockey World Cup expect them to come out with the schedule of the third edition of the Twenty20 league which, they fear, might mar their plan.
“In all likelihood, they are starting IPL 2010 from March 12, a day before our final. Since March 13 is a Saturday, we fear they would slot an IPL double-header and that would mean that the final of the 2010 hockey World Cup would go virtually unnoticed,” one of the organisers told on condition of anonymity.
He revealed the Indian Olympic Association has already requested BCCI and IPL officials to consider the emotion attached with the hockey World Cup and requested them not to schedule any match on that day.
“Requests have been made by IOA officials but we are yet to get any assurance.
“After a gap of nearly three decades, hockey World Cup has returned to India and let’s face it that cricket, especially its Twenty20 avtar, eclipses everything else, even if it’s the final of a hockey World Cup,” he said.
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has been generous enough to allow the organisers of the hockey World Cup bring forward the event by a week – From February 28 to March 13 – so that it doesn’t coincide with IPL but there was no more room for bringing it further forward, the official said.
“The Winter Olympics is scheduled from February 12 to 28 and you cannot have two Olympic sport events at the same time. In other words, the hockey World Cup cannot be advanced further.
“It’s a precarious situation and we expect the IPL governing council to appreciate the emotion surrounding the hockey World Cup when they finalise their schedule,” he added.