IHF-WSH announces slew of cash incentives

M.S. Unnikrishnan

Dispelling the impression that the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) was not keen on India’s participation in the 2012 London Olympic Games, as it was more interested in promoting the prize-money World Series Hockey (WSH), the IHF and WSH today announced a slew of financial incentives for the players, who make it to the Olympic qualifiers and then the Olympics.

The IHF-WSH combine has announced that the mega-incentive plan was to motivate the players to “strive for gold” at the London Olympics and felt that the current hockey ecosystem needed to be “reinvigorated to ensure players are looked after and their remuneration is substantially corrected and brought at par with other sports like cricket”.

Accordingly, those Indian players contracted to play in the WSH (to be held from December 17 to January 22), but also slated to don the National colours, would be paid rupees five lakh each if they figure in the team at the Olympic qualifiers to be held in Delhi in February.

If the team qualifies for the London Olympics, an additional five lakh would be given to every WSH player in the team. If the Indian team, who will include WSH players, manages to win gold, silver or bronze in London, they would be richer by Rs 2 crore, Rs 1 crore or Rs 50 lakh.

But only the WSH players will get a share of the prize-money and not others.

This is such bait that no WSH-contracted Indian player is likely to back off, fearing a reprisal from Hockey India, as the cash on offer is too tempting to let go. IHF president R.K. Shetty said success at the 2012 Olympics “will be a matter of immense National pride”, as the legacy of Indian hockey at the Olympics was unmatched with India winning 11 medals, including eight gold.

“The IHF is committed towards creating multiple opportunities for the players to excel. WSH provides a highly competitive domestic league for the players, to be prepared to compete at international levels. The incentive plan is to further motivate the players to perform at the global level,” Shetty added.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) had warned the Sports Ministry and Hockey India against associating with the WSH in any manner as it did not have FIH the sanction. Sports Minister Ajay Maken had stated that the Government would not put a spoke in the WSH plan as it was like other professional leagues on the pattern of the IPL T20 Championship in cricket and the World Series Boxing league.

But the Sports Authority of India had recently announced that it would not release those players who would be attending the National camp in preparation for the Olympic qualifiers.