You don't prep for 2028 but for 2040, or even 2044. Sustained sporting excellence is based on mass support, grassroots development, and funding - and it is this trifecta India needs to work on, systematically, asserts Prem Panicker.
The squad includes goalkeepers PR Sreejesh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak, and defenders Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Surender Kumar, Jugraj Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, and Gurinder Singh.
India produced a lacklustre and disappointing performance in their second consecutive match to go down 0-2 to Germany and end their pool engagements on a winless note at the Hockey World League (Final), in Bhubaneswar on Monday.
As the much-awaited hockey men's World Cup is inching closer, music maestro AR Rahman has shared the glimpse of the much-anticipated official theme song and video of the hockey tournament, slated to be held from November 28 to December 16 in Bhubaneswar.
India would look to address their attacking woes against a plucky New Zealand for a place in the last-eight stage of the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.
'For years we train for the Olympics and when we are this close, how can we stop training?'
A round-up of Sunday's action in the men's hockey World Cup, in Rourkela.
The men's quartet of Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Santosh Kumar, Mijo Chacko Kurian and Arokia Rajiv also failed to stand on top of the podium as they clocked 3:05.76 to finish second behind Sri Lanka (3:04.48). Vietnam was third with 3:07.37.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
In a series of tweets, Bajaj lashed out at the AIFF for getting the permission to use the stadium cancelled.
Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, who had pulled out of two top events -- FBK Games in the Netherlands and Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland -- due to a muscle strain he sustained last month, has started training but is yet to recover fully.
The hosts will face arch-rivals Pakistan for a place in the final, the latter scoring 4-2 upset win over eight-time champions The Netherlands earlier in the day.
India's hockey coach Harendra Singh apologised after a 2-1 quarter-final defeat by the Netherlands ended their hopes of winning the World Cup on home soil.
Creating a nationwide buzz, India's music icon A R Rahman on Thursday shared the teaser video which features Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and him doing the 'Hockey Hook Step'.
In Group B matches in Margao, Germany beat Nigeria 2-1 and Chile beat New Zealand 3-1.
Title hopes already shattered, defending champions India even failed to finish on the podium as they lost 1-3 to France in the bronze-medal play-off match of the FIH Junior Hockey World Cup, in Bhubaneswar, on Sunday.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday.
India women claim hockey CWG medal after 16 years
India dominated all throughout but their goal-scoring woes continued for the second match in a row.
Belgium won a tense penalty shootout 3-2 against three-times champions Netherlands to win their first men's hockey World Cup title.
World No.1 Australia scored all their goals from penalty corners through Jeremy Hayward (4th minute), Blake Govers (19th) and skipper Aran Zalewski (37th) at the Kalinga Stadium.
Shot putter Manpreet Kaur and long distance runner G Lakshmanan grabbed gold medals on a remarkable opening day for India at the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships as the hosts won seven medals to sit atop the medal tally, in Bhubaneswar, on Thursday.
Indian Arrows stunned defending champions Minerva Punjab FC 2-1 to notch-up their fifth win of the 12th I-League season and leapfrog to the seventh position on the points table, in Bhubaneswar, on Wednesday.
After New Zealand and Spain played out a 2-2 draw earlier in the day, World No. 20, the lowest ranked side in the competition, France needed an outright win to qualify for the cross-overs and they came out with intent to achieve the goal.
World champions Australia defeated Olympic champions Argentina 2-1 in a hard-fought summit clash to defend the Hockey World League (HWL) Final crown.
World Cup bronze medallists Argentina stunned Olympic champions Germany 3-0 in their concluding Pool B match to end their league engagements in the Hero Champions Trophy hockey tournament, in Bhubaneswar, on a high note.
FC Goa overcame a strong fightback from Odisha FC after being three goals up to prevail 4-2 and reclaim the top spot in the Indian Super League, at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, on Wednesday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Track and field athletes will return to outdoor training on Monday after two months of being confined to their rooms due to the coronavirus-forced lockdown but the early focus will be entirely on their fitness regimens to avoid injury. Athletics Federation of India president Adille Sumariwalla said that all the athletes based at NIS-Patiala, SAI Centre in Bengaluru and Ooty will start "outdoor fitness" training from Monday.
All the results from the I-League and ISL matches played on Friday
Both the Indian men's and women's teams will play against Spain on February 26 and 27 in a two-legged tie, followed by matches (both men's and women's) against Germany on March 12 and 13.
An impressive England demolished Pakistan 8-2 in their second Pool A match to register their best-ever win in the history of the FIH Hockey Champions Trophy.
Hosts India drawn with England, Spain and Wales in Pool D of FIH World Cup
India bounced back in style to beat title holders Australia 3-1 via a shoot-out after both the teams were locked 2-2 at the end of regulation time.
Ace drag-flicker Gonzalo Peillat struck a second-half hat-trick as Germany made a sensational comeback after being two goals down to beat Australia 4-3 and enter the men's hockey World Cup final for the fifth time, in Bhubaneswar, on Friday.
Germany struck twice with two minutes left in the match to wipe out a two-goal deficit and then prevailed over England in the penalty shoot-out to make a dramatic entry into the semi-finals of the Men's Hockey World Cup, in Bhubaneswar, on Wednesday.
Neeraj will be competing in his first Olympics and he has already qualified for the Tokyo Games early last year before the COVID-19 pandemic began
India are now atop the leaderboard with five points from two games, but the Manpreet Singh-led side conceded a point to the Netherlands after drawing (during the regulation time) the second match of the contest on Sunday.
'I could not reach the semifinals last time but I am hoping to reach the finals this time'
World No 1 Australia scored three goals in the final quarter to register their second consecutive win in Pool B at the Kalinga Stadium.
