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Olympians assess the debacle at Santiago

Special Correspondent

— FILE PHOTO

Ric Charlesworth.

NEW DELHI: It was a long day of meetings and discussions at the residence of Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) president K. P. S. Gill here on Tuesday as he invited some former Olympians to assess the state of hockey following the Indian team’s failure to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.

Mr. Gill cancelled a scheduled media briefing at the end of deliberations with the coaches and Olympians and went into another session with Australian coach Ric Charlesworth who earlier in the day had consultations with Sports Authority of India (SAI) officials.

Wider role

Unlike what was discussed on Monday, a wider role for Charlesworth including that in the men’s hockey team is being contemplated following consultations on Tuesday.

Charlesworth indicated that there had been some “progress” and official sources revealed that a hands-on role for the Aussie coach in the men’s team was also being discussed.

He has been given time to submit a brief blueprint about how to go about improving Indian hockey.

At the meeting Mr. Gill had with Olympians, there was criticism about the team’s performance, the functioning of the coaches and the selection of the team. The highlight of the deliberations in the afternoon was a suggestion to widen the role of Charlesworth.

The IHF had suggested in its meeting with the Union Sports Ministry that Charlesworth, who has been brought in as technical director at the behest of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), could be associated with the junior men’s teams and women’s hockey.

Some of the Olympians have reportedly advised the IHF to form a committee, that could include some former players and Charlesworth, to plan Indian hockey’s revival. There was support for Charlesworth in the cause of the men’s team.

The meeting was attended, among others, by Olympians Balbir Singh (Sr), Gurbux Singh, Ajitpal Singh, M. P. Ganesh, Harmeek Singh, Zafar Iqbal, B. P. Govinda, Charles Cornelius and Baldev Singh. Also present was Joaquim Carvalho, the coach of the beaten team at Santiago.

Lost glory

Gurbux Singh said the IHF president was apprised of some measures that could be taken to help India regain lost glory. “We discussed what happened and why it happened. We also discussed what possible steps could be taken. We suggested a two-pronged approach. One is the short-term approach for events like the 2010 World Cup and the other a long-term approach.”

The IHF is scheduled to meet on Wednesday also and discuss Carvalho’s resignation and his future role. — Special Correspondent

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