No action against players participating in Nationals: Srinivas

NEW DELHI: Sport Ministry on Tuesday made it clear that players who participated in the IHF-organised Senior Men’s National championship in Bhopal won’t be panelised by Hockey India.

In a letter to former coach Joaquim Carvalho, joint secretary Injeti Srinivas said he has already asked Hockey India to clarify that no action will be taken against players who participated in the tournament.

“I have advised Hockey India to immediately issue a clarification that it will not take any disciplinary action or impose any penalty against any player for participating in the Senior Men’s Hockey National Championship being conducted in Bhopal by the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) from 4th to 18th July, 2010,” Srinivas wrote in reply to Carvalho’s letter dated 15th July, 2010.

Srinivas also said that the SAI hockey turf in Bhopal was not made available for the national tournament because it was pre-occupied for the preparation of Commonwealth Games core probables.

“I would like to clarify that the only reason for which the hockey turf at SAI Regional centre, Bhopal was not made available for conduct of this tournament was due to its pre-occupation with the preparation of CWG core probables,” he wrote in the letter.

He also said that the recognition of Indian Hockey Federation as a sport federation was restored and currently there were two national bodies governing the game.

“I have also advised the institutional members of Hockey India (HI) that the recognition of IHF as a National Sports Federation stands restored in the light of the Judgment dated 21st May, 2010 of Hon’ble Delhi Court …. As a result, we currently have two recognised National bodies for Hockey, viz, IHF and HI,” he wrote in the letter.