‘Good platform for exposure’
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 27
The Indian hockey contingent could not have asked for a better platform than the four-nation Punjab Gold Cup Invitational Hockey Tournament in Chandigarh for the 2010 World Cup to be hosted by India. These were the views of chief coach Harendra Singh and skipper Sandeep Singh during an interaction with the media on Tuesday evening. The Indian team had a workout in the morning to get a feel of the stadium.

The coach seemed in high spirits particularly after the team’s triumphs in the first two matches against Argentina. “Although we lost in the remaining two matches for a 2-2 draw of the series, we have been able to pinpoint the shortcomings and have tried to overcome them”, he added.

He was particularly thankful to the Punjab Government for providing a platform to play against the Olympic champions Germany and the world’s number three team Holland. Seventh-ranked New Zealand was also a challenging team. The matches against such top teams would provide the players just the right exposure for the World Cup competition. “We are in the right spirits and a repeat of 1975 will be are aim”, said the confident chief coach.

Soft-spoken Sandeep Singh agreed with the coach that the gesture of the Punjab Government would go a long way in preparing the boys for the 2010 World Cup. The hockey contingent has been housed in the Taj Hotel where they will be joined by the teams from New Zealand, Holland and Germany in the net two days. A lot of hockey fans had gathered at the Sector 42 hockey stadium to have a glimpse of the Indian hockey stars. And the players obliged a handful of autograph hunters.

With the clearance of the major hockey tournament coming barely 10 days before the tournament there was hectic activity at the Punjab sports director’s office to make it a big hit. The organisers are hopeful of a representation from the Federation Internationale de Hockey (FIH), the body-controlling hockey in the world.

This will be the first time that a state government will be hosting such a four-nation tournament. Associations and federations of that particular sports discipline usually hold these. They deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal, who also holds the sports portfolio, is eager to make the tournament a success. His dream is the revival of hockey in the country, particularly Punjab, which remained the nursery of the game when India won eight gold Olympic gold medals. The tournament will be held from January 31 to February 9 in a double-leg round robin system with rest days on February 2, 5 and 8.