Date:13/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/13/stories/2008031356491900.htm

Sport - Hockey

IHF to discuss qualifier debacle

Hockey Correspondent

Chennai: A meeting of the Indian Hockey Federation is expected to be scheduled shortly to take stock of the situation arising out of the debacle at Santiago and the team’s failure to make it to the Olympics.

There are indications that it will be full fledged meeting of the representatives to chalk out the future programmes in the light of the current happenings.

While a clear cut agenda is getting into shape to discuss various issues, the IHF is faced with the threat of World Cup being pulled out of New Delhi in 2010. The International Hockey Federation is not exactly pleased with the fact the guidelines and recommendations made by the Project Director, Bob Davidzon, were not getting enough attention and implementation.

The FIH Executive Board is meeting in Lausanne on March 25 to debate the issue. The board, which met in November in New Delhi, had allotted the World Cup to New Delhi in principle with the provision that confirmation will come sometime in March.

It is not known where and when the IHF will meet, but sources indicate the meeting will discuss the pressure being mounted on the top brass to resign and pave way for a new dispensation.

As for the FIH, there is an element of disappointment among the top officials that India had not utilised the services of Ric Charlesworth well enough before the qualifier. The Aussie was not even with the Indian team in Santiago.