Hockey squad looks at Olympics

M.S. Unnikrishnan

The Indian hockey team began their camp under the supervision of national coach Harendra Singh at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium here today. Though the immediate goal of the team would be the Azlan Shah Tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Harendra said he was looking further ahead, at the Olympic qualifiers to be held in India in February, and the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Harendra, who was assistant to Spanish coach Jose Brasa till the Asian Games in China, takes his job as national coach as a challenging one, and his efforts would be to put India on the pedestal once again.

Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Ajay Maken’s interaction boosted the probables’ morale, as he promised that the camp would be a continuation of the team’s preparations for the Commonwealth and Asian Games last year, culminating in the London Olympics.

Maken said not only hockey, but also all other chosen disciplines would be given sustained training and foreign exposure in the run-up to the Olympics, to be held from July 27 to August 13, 2012. He said India needed to make a “strong presence” in the event by considerably enhancing their medal tally, to carry forward the good show at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.

It may be recalled that the Indian athletes got sustained, top-class training and foreign exposure before the Commonwealth and Asian Games last year, through initiatives taken by former Sports Minister M.S. Gill, and Maken is now giving further impetus to the programme.

The hockey team will have a hectic schedule before the Olympics, including the Azlan Shah Cup (May 5 to 15), the first Asian Champion Trophy at Ordos, China (Sept 3 to 11), Tri-series in Perth (Oct 12 to 19), four-nation tournament in Perth (Oct 20 to 23), Champions Trophy in India (Nov 26-Dec 4) and the Olympic qualifying tournament in New Delhi (Feb, 2012).

Maken said that there would be 26 disciplines for the Olympics and India would make sustained efforts to qualify for 16 — athletics, archery, badminton, boxing, gymnastics (artistic – men’s), hockey, judo, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling.