ROURKELA: (September-1, 2008) Orissa has earned a special reputation at the national level as a producer of quality hockey players. However, the slipshod manner by which the State organized the recent 21st Sub junior Girls National Hockey Championship at Rourkela, the image took a severe beating. The Orissa Women Hockey Association (OWHA) has let the State down, with its unprofessional approach. The OWHA, if at, all proved to be inefficient and incapable of organizing such an event of significance.

Perhaps influenced by the great name the State has in hockey (in terms of number of international players it produced in both men and women domains), the IWHF thought it fit to allot the age group national championship to OWHA for the first time.

The teams, the officials, the umpires, who were all here for a week, openly and unanimously expressed their disappointment over the ways the arrangements were made. In fact, the sentence erroneously presupposes they made arrangements!

There was inadequate man-power to take care of the teams, officials and umpires. They were left to fend for themselves. All facets of organization, accommodation, catering, transportation, medical, reception were done half-heartedly done, leaving a bad taste in the mouth.

Tournament Director Satinder Singh Walia and Asst. Secretary of IWHF, Ranjit Gill, too expressed their dismay and disappointment at the casual manner the things were organized. Walia even told this writer that except the two good playing grounds (Sports Hostel and Biju Patnaik Hockey stadium) everything else was bad!

He in particular mentioned that the organizers failed to provide the basic things like medical facilities at the match venue. At any national championship an ambulance and doctor must be available, Here, forget about ambulance or doctor, even a simple first aid facility was not made available. A simple thing like spray was also not available.

At the mess, food quality apart, even cleanliness was believed to be not there. There were so many officials each one not knowing what to do. There was total chaos. There was none to co-ordinate. It seemed as if to run the championship is the duty of Tournament Director, not by the State body. Walia categorically said that he would be filing a report on all these shortcomings and incompetent nature of the OWHA, in his report to IWHF.

Ms.Ranjit Gill was not much vocal, one can make out her unhappiness with her body language. She admitted that she was disappointed over the shoddy arrangements. She assured all these would be discussed at the Federation’s meeting after receiving the TD’s report. An another official admitted their own fault for trusting the OWHA. He said,’ Instead of trusting their words we should have come before hand to check for everything”.

There was not a media coordinator to provide information to the media people. There was no arrangements to provide copies of official score sheets.

If these are the difficulties faced by all the section involved in the conduct of the nationals, who knows what went through the minds of those young girls who make a start to their hockey career in this event? Will they continue to play the game? At least, they were not encouraged.

In all Orissa Women Hockey Association has certainly belied the image of the State, as outstation teams carry negative imprint of Orissa.