World Cup hockey venue looks fantastic: FIH president
Qaiser Mohammad Ali
NEW DELHI: After reviewing the ongoing work at the National Stadium,
the venue of the 2010 Delhi World Cup, the International Hockey
Federation (FIH) president Leandro Negre admitted here on Tuesday that
he had not expected that the progress was so good.
“Well, I told the authorities here and at the Indian hockey [ad hoc
committee] that I’m very impressed with the stadium; it looks
fantastic,” Negre told SportzPower in an exclusive interview, after two
meetings with all parties involved in the project.
“The only concern has to be the finish time because we also want to
organise a test tournament before the World Cup. We have received
guarantees about that (the deadline), that it would be the end of
October. But the rest of that (stadium) looks really good. It was more
than what I had expected before coming here in India,” conceded the
Spaniard, who is not fluent in English.
The World Cup will be played from 7-20 March.
Asked what the deadline authorities told him was, he said: “It was
October 2009 from the beginning. Now, we also want a guarantee on that.
It has to finish between the 20th and the end of October.”
Negare wants the stadium to be ready quickly also because he wanted the
facilities, including the yet-to-be-laid artificial turf, to be tested
before the World Cup. For this, the FIH has proposed a four-nation
tournament.
“There will be four teams and it is to be held in December. India will
be one of the teams and we will select the three other sides,” he said.
And added with a chuckle: “Why not Pakistan, for instance? That would
be a test for the security as well. We haven’t decided about the teams,
though.”
Negre disclosed that FIH was close to finalising a good deal with the
title sponsor of the World Cup. “We are dealing with that. There are
some very nice offers for the title sponsorship. There are some Indian
companies too. But till the moment the deal is not signed, I will not
tell you anything. We are very close to finalising one of these
contracts,” he said. “There will be a title sponsor and immediately
after that we will start dealing with the other sponsors of the World
Cup. I am sure that since we are talking with some really good names we
will have good support from the sponsors.”
On the Indian Olympic Association-recognised ad hoc committee, which
administers men’s hockey, Negre said that FIH would not interfere in
the issue — perhaps because there is court case going on concerning
the now-defunct Indian Hockey Federation. “There are some internal
aspects about which the FIH will never interfere in. But since an ad
hoc body is a provisional committee, they need to take some steps
forward to get full recognition for everybody. But it is up to them,”
he stated, steering clear of any potential controversy.
FIH had also proposed a new name, Hockey India (HI), for the Indian
Hockey Confederation, the joint body men’s and women’s body that is
also not functional. Asked when HI would come into existence, Negre
smiled and said: “Don’t ask me, you have to ask them. For me, as soon
as possible – because you need Hockey India immediately for the World
Cup.”
Going by the pace at which the matter is progressing in the Delhi High
Court, it seems unlikely that the issue would be resolved before the
World Cup.
Negre confirmed he would also meet IOA president-cum-politician Suresh
Kalmadi, who also heads the hockey ad hoc committee. “We (the FIH team)
are going to Pune to meet him day after tomorrow (9 April). There are
different issues that I will talk about with him. But let me keep those
with myself. I will discuss them with him and you can then ask me about
all that.”