The Hindu : Sport : Kalmadi to head IOA’s ad hoc committee to run Indian hockey

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Wednesday, May 07, 2008
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Kalmadi to head IOA’s ad hoc committee to run Indian hockey

Special Correspondent

New Delhi: After a week’s uncertainty, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) announced on Tuesday the appointment of an ad hoc committee headed by its President Suresh Kalmadi to run the game of men’s hockey in the country.

The decision follows the suspension of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) from the IOA in the wake of the ‘sting’ operation by a TV channel against K. Jothikumaran who has since quit as the IHF Secretary.

Apart from the chairman, the ad hoc body comprises the other two principal office-bearers of the IOA, Secretary-General Randhir Singh, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and Treasurer A. K. Mattoo, and two other members, Mr. Mohammad Aslam Khan of Uttar Pradesh and Mr. Rajiv Mehta, president of the Uttaranchal Olympic Association who is also the joint secretary of the suspended IHF.

Incidentally, Mr. Mehta was named by the IHF President, K. P. S. Gill, in an enquiry committee to look into the ‘sting’ against Mr. Jothikumaran, but he is learnt to have quit that panel.

Mr. N. Ramachandran, Secretary-General of the Squash Racquets Federation of India will be the marketing advisor of the committee while Mr. Bob Davidzon of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and Australian coach Ric Charlesworth will be the administration and technical advisors respectively.

“The message is clear, the IOA is very serious about conducting the affairs of hockey,” said an IOA official when asked about the IOA president himself being the chairman of an ad hoc committee.

An IOA release stated that the IOA “has appointed an ad hoc committee to look after the affairs of the Indian Hockey Federation as per the decision taken at the special Executive Council meeting held on April 28 at Delhi.” It was explained that the ad hoc committee formation was according to the provisions in the IOA constitution.

There was no official explanation regarding the situation in which the FIH-affiliated unit in India happens to be the Indian Hockey Confederation (IHC) headed by Mr. K. P. S. Gill while that body is not affiliated to the IOA.

Sources, however, pointed out that the IHC was only a body in which the IHF and the Indian Women’s Hockey Federation (IWHF) were equal partners and took turns in heading the body. Now that the IHF was suspended, it would have no role to play in the IHC also, sources claimed.

The backing of the FIH, so crucial under the circumstances, was already there for the IOA-nominated panel, sources said. A formal communication was, however, yet to come,

It may be recalled that the FIH had urged the IOA to intervene in the hockey administration to save the project, ‘Promoting Indian Hockey’, as well as to ensure that the 2010 World Cup was not taken away from Delhi. It was also keen to ensure that Charlesworth was given a more meaningful role.

Confusion reigns

Meanwhile, confusion reigned over the composition of the team now in Ipoh, Malaysia, for the Azlan Shah tournament beginning on May 8. Three players including captain Tushar Khandekar who were expected to be part of the team at Ipoh, while returning from the Australian tour, were learnt to be on their way back, but there was no confirmation available with the IOA ad hoc committee.

Chief Coach Joaquim Carvalho, who was named observer for the tournament, had apparently made his own changes in the team over-ruling the ad hoc committee and the IOA-nominated selection committee.

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