Jewel in the crown could help hockey shine again

C Rajshekhar Rao

New Delhi: The Major Dhyan Chand Stadium gives hockey’s world body a ‘showpiece venue’ for the game, Indian administrators an edifice to be proud of after criticism for tardy work at Commonwealth Games venues, and provides the public hope of watching some top-class matches in the coming months.

The stadium, originally christened as the Irwin Ampitheatre (1933) but more popularly known as the National Stadium since the 1951 Asian Games, was inaugurated by the sports minister, Dr MS Gill, here on Sunday.

“The facilities in the stadium are state-of-the-art. So much work has been done in the stadium that it is almost like new. It is one of the best hockey stadiums in the world,” Gill said proudly after inaugurating the revamped structure that also was an important venue during the 1982 Asian Games.

The stadium, which comes under the central vista of the city and has thus been planned keeping in mind certain restrictions, will be used for the hockey World Cup starting February 28 as well as during the Commonwealth Games in October.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) chief Leandro Negre is hoping that the new venue, which has three synthetic surfaces in all, will give a fillip to the game worldwide. “This will surely be one of the best hockey venues worldwide,” he said recently about the Dhyan Chand Stadium, which retains its original flavour in brick colour but still manages to pull in the best of facilities.

Former hockey star Ashok Kumar is naturally amongst those elated at the revamp of the stadium, which was named after his father in the year 2002.

“It is an honour for our family that the stadium is going to be such a top class facility for hockey. We are all thankful that my father is being remembered with such pride so many years after his death,” said Kumar. “I vividly remember playing in the ‘Asian All Stars’ match here in 1975. That was a time Indian hockey was at its peak (India won the World Cup that year). It was an electric atmosphere then and one I always associate with the stadium,” he averred rather nostalgically.

Kumar also remembers the time its maintenance was ignored.

“We used to stay there for long durations. There were times when the rooms were dingy and the corridors rather dark and smelly. But it was nevertheless a part of all of us ,” he added. But now of course, things are likely to be different, what with central air-conditioning, electronic surveillance and retractable light towers being just some highlights.

“Indian hockey is going through a testing phase and I hope this period will also mark a new beginning for Indian hockey,” Kumar added.