4-nation hockey tourney likely

Chandigarh, September 7
Olympic champions Germany besides the Netherlands and Pakistan have been invited to participate in a double-leg four-nation prize money tournament that Punjab Sports Department intends to hold in Chandigarh and Jalandhar early next year.

Hosts India will be the fourth team in the tournament that has preliminary sanction or clearance of the International Hockey Federation.

Officials of the Indian Olympic Association, including Secretary-General Randhir Singh, had browsed the subject with the FIH chief Els van Breda during the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing. She had given her go ahead provided proposed teams or their managements accepted the invite.

“We have already sent the invitations and hope to hear from them by end of this month or early next month,” says Pargat Singh, Director of Punjab Sports Department.

The teams are looking at availability of their players in last week of January or first week of February. “Once players confirm their availability, we will go ahead with the preparations,” says Pargat holding that all matches will be played in floodlights.

“We have proposed a total prize money of $ 100,000. The winners will get $ 30,000 while the runners up will get $ 20,000. The third placed team will get $ 15,000 and the fourth $ 10,000.

“Besides there will be a man of the match award of $ 1000 in each of the 14 matches proposed to be played during the tournament. Then there will be some special cash prizes for best players of the tournament in goalkeeping, defence and forward line also,” Pargat added.

The FIH is keen to see India back in top eight teams of world hockey. It is why it has offered India holding of Champions Trophy either in 2011 or 2012 after the 2010 World Cup.

The next edition of the Champions Trophy will be perhaps first where there will be no Pakistan in the tournament that finished a poor eighth in the Beijing Olympic Games.