The International Hockey Federation (FIH) today made it clear that no further extension would be granted to the Indian establishment to sort out its disputes and complete the election process.
Reiterating the world body’s stand that they do not have any back up venue for the mega-event, FIH Vice President Antonio von Ondarza, said the extension till February first week was granted to HI keeping in mind the enormous paper work involved in the affliation process of the state units.
“I came here to talk to HI, IOA and the government. It was a routine visit but it has been a fruitful visit as far as FIH was concerned,” Ondarza, who is the FIH appointed observer for the elections, told reporters here.
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“There is an ongoing process involved in the official merger of men’s and women’s federations in the state level.
Earlier, we decided to hold elections in November but the FIH received some communication from stakeholders that they were not ready for the elections as it involves a lot of paper work. So I came here to discuss the possibility of postponing the elections so that everybody can have a say in the democratic process.
“After meeting all parties we have come to a conclusion to postpone the elections till the end of January but not later because the new body has to be in place before the World Cup,” he said.
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