Media kept out of National Stadium

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 3

The Indian hockey team, preparing for the World Cup to be held at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium in Delhi from February 28 to March 13, had their first feel of the brand new stadium as they shifted their camp from Pune to Delhi, but the media was kept out of bounds by an overzealous Sports Ministry and Sports Authority of India (SAI) officials.

A director of the SAI said a decision had been taken to keep the media out of bounds of the stadium as a television cameraman had allegedly tried to scale over the boundary wall. But it’s learnt that the turf war between the Sports Ministry and Hockey India was the real reason for keeping the media out as the SAI and the Ministry do not want togive any credit to HI for the preparation of the hockey team at the National Stadium.

It may be recalled that chairman of the 2010 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Suresh Kalmadi and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had not been invited when Sports Minister Dr M.S.Gill inaugurated the stadium last week.

Meanwhile, Kalmadi today launched the sale of tickets of the Hero Honda World Cup, when he presented the first ticket to Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. The tickets will be sold through the branches of the Central Bank ofIndia and online through official website www.msnindia.com/worldcuphockey.

The tickets have been priced at Rs 100 (Rs 150 for final), Rs 500 (Rs 750), Rs 1,000 (Rs 1,500) and Rs 5,000 (Rs 7,500).