Chattisgarh Protests against ‘ghost’ Association Getting Affiliation from Hockey India

Concerned people in Chattisgarh Hockey Associations have raised objection to the manner by which the State Olympic Association has appropriated the hockey bodies.

They claim that Hockey India has wrongly proceeded to grant affiliation to Chattisgarh Hockey Association which actually is a non existent body. An official termed the new body as the ‘ghost’ association, how correct it is!

Following a vicious pattern that have been followed elsewhere, President of State Olympic Association — who has been mandated by IOA to recommend the association for affiliation by Hockey India — has misused his powers in Chattisgarh to declare himself the President of the State Hockey Association.

Officials of the Original State Association bodies which exisited ever since the State was carved out of Madhya Pradesh, justifiably cry foul and even dared to describe the State Olympic association’s move as subversion.

“How can they create a new body without involvement of associations for men and women existed for over a decade”, fumes Nita Dumre, former international goalkeeper, and also the Secretary of the Chattisgarh Women’s Association.

Those in the women association have therefore made a ferverent plea to the FIH demanding its intervention, with an emphasis to audit the entire process of granting affiliation by Hockey India.

“In fact if similar process has been followed by Hockey India elsewhere, as has been done in the case of Chattisgarh, we also suspect the entire process of granting affiliation a complete shame”, opined another official.

Officials of Chattisgarh’s legal associations also appealed to both Hockey India and Indian Olympic Association to adopt a truly democratic and fair process of affiliation before going for election.

They have made representation to all concerned including Sports Ministry, Government of India, Election Observer and of course the FIH president, seeking remedy in time.

Click here for a related article