Crisis deepens for Hockey India

In a further effort to clip Hockey India’s (HI) wings, the union sports ministry on Friday shot off a letter to International Hockey Federation (FIH) president Leandro Negre, requesting him not to assign any international tournament, or have any commercial dealings with HI.

The ministry had derecognised HI on Thursday, stating that the association had blatantly flouted government guidelines. “HI is no more the recognised national sports federation for the management, control and promotion of hockey in the country, and it is also not authorised to select and field the national team in international competitions,” the ministry cited in the letter.

The ministry has requested the FIH to permit the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) or the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to field the Indian team for international tournaments. Newly-elected HI president Vidya Stokes refused to comment on this matter, stating that the matter was still sub-judice. It will come up for hearing in the Supreme Court on August 19.

“The only thing I can say is that we have always maintained that we are an autonomous and independent body and not a creation under the statute or any act of government. It is the sports ministry which kept on changing its stance in the court with regard to our status,” Stokes told DNA.

However, confusion over HI’s affiliation to the IOA still remains. The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), which was suspended by the IOA in 2008, was deemed to be the “only recognised body” by the Delhi high court in its judgement on May 21. Following that order, IHF’s affiliation with the IOA was reinstated. Taking a note of this, the government restored the recognition to the IHF and has told the international governing body that IHF has started the process of unification of the men’s and women’s body and will approach FIH for recognition very soon.

IOA joint secretary Lalit Bhanot said the IOA will take up this matter later as it was too tied up with the Commonwealth Games scandal.

When contacted, FIH spokesman Arjen Meijer said FIH was “not in a position to comment on the letter at the moment.”

However, FIH vice president Antonio von Ondarza made it clear that no dealings will be done with the IHF. “We have derecognised it way back in 2000,” he said.