The Hindu : Sport / Hockey : Don't expect any fast results: Bob Davidzon

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 25, 2007
ePaper

Sport

Sport - Hockey

Don't expect any fast results: Bob Davidzon

Special Correspondent

BANGALORE: Bob Davidzon is a polyglot. He speaks five languages but he knows none of the Indian languages. However, he is a plain speaker when it comes to the future of Indian hockey.

" Don't expect any fast results. You can be optimistic and hope for a gold in the Olympics but be realistic," he cautions.

The expert from Netherlands is on his third visit to India and this time he has toured the major cities and is interacting with a number of players, officials and coaches.

He warns members of the media that Indian hockey can't change overnight but is hopeful that in the next five years there will be a quantum change if certain core areas are addressed.

His exhaustive study of the problems that affect Indian hockey has shown that there are fourteen areas of concern and that has been whittled down to six strategic plans to be addressed immediately.

Areas of concern

Bob is happy that the Indian Hockey Federation has taken cognisance of the problems and is working hard to put Indian hockey back on track.

Areas that are being addressed immediately include, recruitment, team management, assistance from modern technology, coaching and umpiring and medical standards. Initially Bob thought that the hugeness of the country and its rules made his effort a `mission impossible.'

But the expert assigned to revitalise Indian hockey is now more than satisfied with the rate of progress being achieved.

At the national hockey camp in Bangalore, Bob addressed the trainees and lectured on how the players should behave during matches.

" Umpires can be a friend or an enemy," Bob pointed out.

On how important it was for India to qualify for the Olympics, Bob stressed on the fact that viewership during the Olympics would be up by 350 million if the Indian hockey team played.

He also said that IHF should make concerted efforts to bridge the gap between the National team and the players at the grassroot level. He was happy to note that hockey sticks were being distributed in villages and every effort was made to popularise the game.

However Bob was quite nonplussed when he was informed that the Karnataka State Hockey Association was struggling for the past three years to have its synthetic surface replaced.

He was dismayed that the rate of progress in certain areas was very slow. He also strongly felt that the Indian hockey team should have at least nine officials accompanying the squad during its international sojourns.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport