IHF demands restoration of its status

The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) on Tuesday demanded that the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) restore its pre-2008 status as the sole governing body for hockey in India towards settling the dispute that is threatening India's Olympic participation.

At a meeting convened by the IOA here on Tuesday to find a way out of the hockey mess, the IHF suggested that the IOA could revoke the disaffiliation of the IHF and then only there could be a lasting solution to the problem that has gripped Indian hockey for more thanthree years.

A spokesman of the IHF who attended the meeting said that there was no clear response from the IOA to this suggestion and the apex body was expected to discuss the matter within its decision-making body before getting back to the federation.

The meeting involved the IOA, IHF and Hockey India (HI), which is the international federation (FIH) recognised body looking after the game in the country.

FIH threat

Recently, the FIH had held out the threat that India's participation in the London Olympic Games hockey competition could be in jeopardy if the dispute was not settled soon. The IOA initiative has come after that threat.

The IOA had been kept out of the negotiations that the Union Sports Ministry had held with the hockey bodies during the past few months to break the impasse, but recently the ministry has stated that it would have no objection if the IOA was able to resolve the issue.

The IHF made it clear at Tuesday's meeting that India's participation, first in the Olympic qualifiers, and then if the team qualified, in the Olympics was of paramount importance and the IHF was prepared to go to any lengths to ensure this.

The IHF also stated, according to an official, that it would be willing to accommodate Narinder Batra, HI Secretary-General, if he chose to contest the fresh elections that the IHF was ready to hold.

The FIH has told the Government that it should recognise HI as the sole governing body for the game in the country in order to facilitate India's participation in future international competitions.

The FIH had recently taken out the Champions Trophy that was allotted to India and had threatened that if things did not improve then even the Olympic qualifiers, also scheduled to be held here, could be taken away.

The FIH had rejected the working arrangement evolved at the behest of the ministry between the two hockey bodies stating that the Olympic Charter did not allow two federations to function in a country.