Olympians Gurbax, Joaquim to fight Mumbai Hockey Association elections

MUMBAI: The elections to the Mumbai Hockey Association (MHA) on August 12 will see Olympians Gurbax Singh Grewal and Joaquim Carvalho contesting for top posts to regain their positions in the city hockey officialdom.?p>

“Gurbax Singh (1968 Olympian) has filed his nomination for the president’s post, against Manga Singh Bakshi (the incumbent), while Joaquim (1984 Olympian) will contest against me for the honorary secretary’s post,” MHA secretary Ram Singh Rathor told PTI.

Among the contestants for the one of the two vice president’s posts is another Olympian and Carvalho’s ertswhile teammate, Merwyn Fernandis, who was part of the 1980 gold medal winning Indian team at the Moscow Games.

Other internationals like Gavin Ferreira, also an Olympian, Raja Bagade and Ramesh Pillay are also contesting the elections from the players’ side.

The last date for withdrawals is August 8, Rathor informed.

The players are fighting on the plank that hockey development has taken a back step at the MHA under the ruling group.

But Rathor asked how some of the the players’ group members, who had initiated steps to put a spanner in the extension of the ground’s lease by the Maharashtra government, can now talk of developing hockey.

“How can the same set of people, who had gone to the authorities to end the ground’s lease, develop hockey without the ground,” Rathor wondered.