World Series Hockey postponed by two months

NEW DELHI: The suspense over the staging of the World Series Hockey (WSH) is over, at least for now. The WSH organisers on Monday decided to postpone the event by over two months. The eight-team multi-city event will now be launched on February 29, 2012 – just three days after the Olympic qualifiers get over.

The decision to adjust the dates of the event was taken after a “request made by the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF)”, the official press release said. “The IHF has been in discussions with players, participating coaches and match officials all of whom have reiterated their commitment to play in WSH,” the release said.

The event, organised by the IHF and Nimbus Sports, was to begin on December 17. However, it was clashing with the national camp for Olympic qualifiers, which started in Bangalore on December 11.

“We are extremely saddened by the intimidation tactics employed by Hockey India (HI) to try and deprive Indian hockey players of an opportunity to earn a living from the sport of hockey,” president of IHF, RK Shetty said in the statement.

“The intimidation tactics being used by HI are shameful and it’s a pity that our players had to be put through this. With the express intent of protecting our national players from further harassment from HI, the IHF has requested WSH to take the high ground and adjust the dates for the event. We are pleased to confirm that WSH has accepted the request and the event will now commence in February after the completion of India’s Olympic qualifiers on February 26,” he added.

Sources said that the rescheduling of the event means the organisers can now hope to hold the “rebel” league without any interference from HI. Sources said that the sports ministry is said to have played a key role in the negotiations and has told HI to ensure that it does not pressurise players who intend to take part in the event after the qualifiers.

While the rescheduling will ensure that the probables in the national camp don’t have to worry about participating in WSH, at least till the end of the qualifiers, it also gives some more time to the organisers to find buyers for unsold teams. A good performance in the qualifiers by India would be helpful for the organisers to find a better market for the hockey league.

The rescheduling has led to logistical problems for the organizers, since they will have to rearrange everything. In fact, several of the foreign players and support staff had already started their respective camps in different cities.

“The primary objective of WSH is the reinvigoration of the sport of hockey in India. The players are very important stakeholders and after the request from IHF (on behalf of the players), we have had detailed consultation with our sponsors, franchises, team officials, match officials and other administrators of the sport of hockey. We look forward to the launch of this historic event on February 29, 2012,” Nimbus Sports COO Yannick Colaco said.

Some of the players, who are expected to take part in WSH, welcomed the development and said the change in dates will ensure no clash with their national duty. “It is going to be a very good opportunity for the Indian players to shine on a global platform,” said Tushar Khandker.