'Whether they change uniforms or try to rewrite history through education policy, no matter what they do... You have seen what the youth of our country think about this...'
Congress MLA and former India Hockey Captain Pargat Singh has criticised the change in the Indian hockey team's national jersey colour from blue to saffron, alleging it reflects the BJP's mindset of 'giving everything a particular colour' and urging a focus on sports development instead.
India's Harmanpreet Singh was crowned as Men's Player Of The Year and his former compatriot PR Sreejesh was named Men's Goalkeeper Of The Year, announced the International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Friday.
It has been 18 years since arch-rivals India and Pakistan have locked horns in a bilateral hockey Test series.
Veteran sports administrator Narinder Batra quit his positions as International Hockey Federation president and also gave up IOC membership, hours after CBI conducted multiple raids at his residence and offices in New Delhi and Jammu.
Hockey India's situation is expected to be reviewed again in FIH's next executive board meeting.
Hockey India received a shot in the arm after the International Hockey Federation (FIH) formally recognised the newly-formed body as its member and the sole governing body of the game, both men and women, in the country. In a letter to Hockey India secretary Mohammad Aslam, dated June 14, FIH secretary-general Peter L Cohen said the FIH has recognised Hockey India as its member in place of Indian Hockey Confederation (IHC).
Batra secured 63 votes as against his rival's 61 to emerge winner during the online voting process, in which 124 member associations participated.
The Polish Hockey Association picked up the Theo Ikema Award, thanks to the various hockey development projects resulting in 30 newly trained coaches and over 3000 schoolchildren being introduced to the sport within the country.
Sreejesh was re-elected as a member of the FIH Athletes' Committee during the virtual meeting of Executive Board.
The Congress was scheduled to begin in New Delhi on October 28, later this year. The decision to postpone the Congress was taken at an online meeting of the FIH Executive Board.
Spaniard Leandro Negre replaced Els van Breda Vriesman as the new President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), beating her in the elections held during the governing body's Congress in Los Angeles. Negre, who was the president of the European Hockey Federation, will hold the office for a term of four years.
The Pakistan Hockey Federation has said it will take up the issue of behaviour of tournament director at the recent Champions Trophy in India with the International Hockey Federation.
Rising political tension has adversely affected the bilateral sporting ties between India and Pakistan but newly-elected FIH chief Narinder Batra on Saturday said the two nations will have to honour their international commitments. The tension at the border has cast a shadow over Pakistan's participation in the next month's FIH Junior World Cup in Lucknow but Batra's comments make it clear that the two neighbours are set to clash against each other on Indian soil.
Narinder Batra on Saturday became the first Indian to be elected the President of the International Hockey Federation after he was voted to the top post by an overwhelming margin during the penultimate day of the 45th FIH Congress in Dubai. Batra, who is the president of Hockey India, defeated David Balbirnie of Ireland and Australia's Ken Read to become the 12th FIH President -- the first Asian to grab the post.
While Dilip Tirkey is the ruling Biju Janata Dal candidate for the Sundergarh (ST) Lok Sabha constituency, his junior and former India hockey captain, Prabodh Tirkey is the Congress candidate from the Talsara (ST) assembly segment also in Sundergarh district.
Argentina's Luciana Aymar and Spain's Pol Amat were crowned as WorldHockey Players of the Year 2008 in Los Angeles, USA on Friday. Both hockey stars received their awards during a special ceremony on the occasion of the FIH Congress Dinner at Universal Studios in the Californian city. Dutch Maartje Paumen and Australian Eddie Ockenden won the WorldHockey Young Player of the Year 2008 awards. All four hockey stars were present in Los Angeles to receive their awards.
The National Associations of Australia, England, India, Malaysia, and New Zealand have all put up extremely strong cases in an attempt to lure the sport's top properties to their territory, the FIH said.
India has been awarded the 2018 men's hockey World Cup, the second time in a span of eight years the country will be hosting the mega event.
Indian women's team midfielder Salima Tete was appointed as the AHF Athletes Ambassador from India for a term of two years
Come 2024 Paris Olympics, field hockey will be played on a turf that doesn't require watering, International Hockey Federation (FIH) Chief Executive Officer Thierry Weil said, in New Delhi, on Saturday.
Hockey India said it has drawn up a list of competitions both for the senior men and women's teams in the run-up to next year's Tokyo Olympics. The detailed plan involves playing a number of matches against top teams in the world.
Mariamma Koshy has taken charge of Hockey India (HI) as president with immediate effect, replacing Narinder Dhruv Batra who was recently elected as the first ever non European chief of the sport's governing body FIH. He is the 15th president of the field hockey's international parent body.
Hockey Olympian Aslam Sher Khan is of the opinion that Indian hockey is run on the whims of FIH and there was no need to have a foreign coach on board.
The International Hockey Federation will allow defenders to wear protective face masks as a precaution while defending penalty-corners.
The 27th edition of the prestigious tournament will be held in November-December, in Chennai.
Rising Indian midfielder Manpreet Singh was named the 'Junior Player of the Year' by the Asian Hockey Federation in its Congress held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
