'Right now hockey is totally changed and anyone can beat anyone depending on the day. It depends on how many chances you create.'
Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey, on Wednesday, said that the national men's team will travel to Pakistan for qualifiers in case it fails to directly qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday.
Taking a cue from the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Hockey India advertised for the position for the first time on its website http://hockeyindia.org.
Ex-Indian hockey star Rajiv Mishra was found dead at his residence in Sarsauli area of Varanasi under mysterious circumstances.
Pakistan Hockey Federation has finally got clearance from the government to send its national junior team to Lucknow, India for the FIH Junior World Cup next month. A reliable source in the PHF said that the ministry of inter-provincial coordination has informed the federation that the government has given the NOC for participating in the December 8-18 Junior World Cup. "The PHF officials were anxious about getting the NOC to send its team to India next month as the FIH event is scheduled from December 8 to 18th and it is an important event for the future of Pakistan hockey. But now the ministry has informed the PHF that the government has given the clearance," the source said.
Manu Bhaker has been shockingly ignored for this year's Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award, a top sports ministry source has asserted
Eight-time champions India have bee clubbed along side Australia, Argentina, Spain, New Zealand and hosts Japan in a tough Pool A in the men's competition
Eight senior Pakistani players have been summoned by the Pakistan Hockey Federation for a disciplinary hearing on May 7 for participating in the unsanctioned World Series Hockey in India.
Veteran sports administrator Narinder Batra's former office at the Indian Olympic Association headquarters and the Hockey India office in New Delhi were on Monday raided by CBI officials.
Kash Patel, the first Indian-American to head the FBI, has traced his roots to Bhadran village in Gujarat's Anand district. Patel's family migrated to Uganda 70 to 80 years ago, before selling their ancestral houses and moving to foreign countries. Patel was born in New York and is a trained lawyer who is an ice-hockey fan.
Terry Walsh, an International Hockey Federation (FIH) Master Coach, has 175 international caps and represented Australia in four World Cup campaigns and three Olympic Games including a silver medal at the Montreal Olympics in 1976.
Ritu Rani has been named captain of the 8-member Indian women's hockey team that will play the semifinals of the World League Round 3 at Rotterdam, The Netherlands from June 13.
India have been the FIH's top market in the last decade or so in terms of sponsorships and monetary benefits, and the world body official stressed that the country will continue to hold its significance despite the sport spreading its wings to other parts of the world.
Sreejsh beat competition from sport climber Alberto Gins Lpez of Spain and Italy's wushu player Michele Giordano for the award.
The 44-year-old Tirkey, a player-turned-politician and administrator, is the country's most capped player with 412 international caps.
Batra secured 63 votes as against his rival's 61 to emerge winner during the online voting process, in which 124 member associations participated.
While the men's matches were deferred, the international governing body said that the women's matches between India and Germany will go on as planned this weekend at the Kalinga Stadium.
Cyclone 'Titli' did dampen the spirits of hockey fans to some extent but not veterans like Dilip Tirkey and Dhanraj Pillay who were excited about the exhibition match played, in Bhubaneswar, on Wednesday.
Indian women's team midfielder Salima Tete was appointed as the AHF Athletes Ambassador from India for a term of two years
Former India men's hockey head coach Roelant Oltmans blamed the lack of tactical awareness and a non-existent club culture for India's early exit from the 2023 Hockey World Cup.
India has proposed to conduct all those disciplines that were axed from the 2026 Commonwealth Games to ensure that the country's medal tally is not affected when the event is held in Glasgow.
The Indians eventually lost the semi-final 0-3 in the shootout after both teams were tied 1-1 at the end of regulation time as the crowd booed the technical officials for the decision.
Pakistan Hockey Federation is still awaiting the No Objection Certificate from its government to send its national squad for the Junior Hockey World Cup, to be held in Lucknow from December 8.
The Indian Hockey Federation announced an experimental side for the January 8-18 tournament in Kuala Lumpur.
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Kash Patel, a close confidante, as the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). This appointment would make Patel the highest-ranking Indian American in Trump's incoming administration. Patel has previously served in various roles in the Trump administration, including Chief of Staff at the Department of Defense, Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council. Trump praised Patel's work in uncovering the "Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax" and his commitment to "bringing back Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity to the FBI." Patel, who has extensive experience in law enforcement and national security, is known for his work on the Russia investigation and his criticism of the "deep state."
In a first step towards getting FIH recognition, the Indian Hockey Federation and Indian Women's Hockey Federation merged on Thursday to form a single body that will handle the affairs of the game in the country.
The KPS Gill-led Indian Hockey Federation is all set to merge with the Indian Women's Hockey Federation on Thursday to strengthen its claim to being the sole representative body for the sport in the country.
Former World No 1 doubles shuttler Chirag Shetty termed the exclusion of badminton from the 2026 Commonwealth Games curriculum a wrong decision.
Reigning silver medallists India will open their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan in a mouth-watering men's hockey contest of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday came hard on Hockey India for unilaterally deciding to pull out of next year's Commonwealth Games, saying the national federation is bound to consult with the government before taking any such step.
The FIH has responded by introducing a number of changes to the way hockey will be played and broadcast at the Rio Games. Those include a move to 15-minute quarters and scheduling more time for television replays and analysis to showcase players' virtuoso skills with a ball moving at more than 160 kilometres an hour, Fairweather said. For the first time in Olympic competition, the Rio hockey tournament will also feature quarter-finals, making it the last team sport to adopt the format at the Games.
Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey said India can win a World Cup medal this time after a hiatus of 48 years but for that the home side needs to make use of penalty corners.
A large contingent of officials and media were present at the airport to receive the team, which finished fifth in the just-concluded Hockey World League Semi-finals in Antwerp.
As per some media reports, Hockey India has informed the International Hockey Federation (FIH) that there will be no HIL in 2018 because of financial concerns related to some franchises.
Pakistan Hockey Federation had sought a loan from the PCB to send the team to Bhubaneswar and clear the outstanding dues of players.
The top-scorer at the 10th Sultan of Johor Cup was India's Sharda Nand Tiwari with 7 goals to his name, and the Player of the Match in the Final against Australia was Sudeep Chirmako.
Terming the Tokyo Olympics as 'different from the normal Games', FIH CEO Thierry Weil said a team can still keep on playing even when multiple cases are reported within the group.
The camp getting underway in Bengaluru on Sunday will conclude on September 18.
