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C'wealth Games: IHF sceptical about India's participation

CHENNAI July 8. The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) has no communication from any quarter, including the International Hockey Federation (FIH) about its entry for the men's hockey event in the Commonwealth Games at Manchester, which will be held between August 25 and September 4.

Mr. K. Jothikumaran, said the issue of India's entry was a closed chapter as far as the Commonwealth Games was concerned and expressed surprise over the news in a section of the media, related to it through the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

Mr. Jothikumaran said IOA had clarified that nothing about the men's team's participation was discussed recently. He also wondered how India could replace Jamaica, which withdrew from the women's section and substituted by Malaysia. India was an automatic qualifier for the women's event.

The issue of India's participation was debated at length when Pakistan was given the automatic entry spot from Asia based on its Olympic rankings after Sydney 2000. The protest that Pakistan was no more part of the Commonwealth after the expulsion was rejected, as it was not applicable to sports contests.

Almost every important segment connected with the Commonwealth Games somehow wanted to include India in the men's section as to give the hockey event a more competitive edge and spectator appeal in a city like Manchester with a huge Asian population.

Mr. Jothikumaran said in any case the Indian team was not preparing for the Commonwealth Games but for the Champions Trophy next month at Cologne and then the Asian Games in Busan.

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