Saturday, June 6, 2009

It is Hockey or Politics..?

By Siddu Kaloji
For the growth of any game Politics should be kept always away from the Sports. But, in India Sports and Politics are in separable. Our national game Hockey is the perfect example for how the politics in the game kills the sports.

Thanks to the politics in the game, Hockey which once made India proud in the Olympics now on the verge of vanishing. The politics in the game never allowed Hockey to back in to its golden era. Whenever the Hockey team tried to bounce back, politics in the game ended the dream prematurely.

A year ago after the Beijing Olympics debacle, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) intervened and sacked the president of Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) KPS Gill, who is the main culprit for the fate of hockey today in India and appointed ad hoc committee to look in to the game. Then all sports lovers took long breadth and dreamt of revival of the hockey. But, these dreams shattered within a year. This time, IOA the sports governing body in India itself has abolished the both Men and Women Hockey Federations and announced the new umbrella called HOCKEY INDIA (HI) without consulting the state Hockey federations.

The reason given for this sudden decision by IOA president Suresh Kamadi is ridiculous. It has been reported that if both men and women hockey federations could not have been merged, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) should have stripped off from rights of hosting the next year World cup Hockey. If this was the matter, what IOA was doing all these days is the big question. Why IOA has not consulted state federations before taking such a big decision, should be answered by Kalmadi.

Now it is certain that state units going to challenge the decision of IOA in the law of court. Ministry of Sports should immediately intervene to save the game of hockey. I think it is better for India to stay away from all the International tournaments at least for some years and rebuild the team to the level of International standards.

Same time new autonomous governing body, free from all kind of politics with former Indian Hockey team players as members, who represented the country at highest level and having good knowledge of the game should be formed for the revival of hockey. Otherwise, in the game of politics we will loose the beautiful game called Hockey.
Pic source from: http://ndtv.com

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