Hockey India elections deferred yet again

The Hockey India elections, scheduled to be held on February 7, have been deferred once again, a day after the Rajasthan High Court issued a stay order on the formation of an ad-hoc body for the sport in the state.

In a statement issued on Saturday, HI said the elections couldn’t be held till the court took a decision on the case. “Hockey India referred the matter to the returning officer GS Mander, who after taking legal advice, has directed Hockey India to defer the elections till the final decision is taken by the Rajasthan High Court, because the entire electoral college of Hockey India has been stayed,” HI said in a statement.

“Hockey India has kept the FIH, ministry of sports, election observer of the government and the IOA observer updated about the development,” it added.

The sixty-year-old Rajasthan Hockey Association moved the court on Friday after Hockey India ignored it and instead granted affiliation to an ad-hoc body under its ‘one state, one body’ policy.

The elections, postponed for a fourth time, were to be held before the World Cup, which starts in the Capital from February 28. Meanwhile, according to sources, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) is yet to take a final decision on sending its team to the World Cup amid calls for a boycott following the IPL’s snub to Pakistan cricketers.