News for 17 May 2020
All the news for Sunday 17 May 2020
Hockey legend Balbir Sr’s condition stabilising but still on ventilator support
Balbir Singh Sr is a triple-Olympic champion and managed the team to the World Cup triumph in 1975. - AKHILESH KUMAR
Hockey legend Balbir Singh Sr didn’t suffer any more “cardiac events” in the past few days and his condition “is stabilising” though he remains on ventilator support, his maternal grandson Kabir said on Saturday.
Giving a health update of the three-time Olympic gold medallist, Kabir said his grandfather has still not regained consciousness.
“No further cardiac events since last update. His condition is stabilising, but continues to be on ventilator assistance. He still hasn’t regained consciousness,” Kabir said.
“MRI brain done, results awaiting.”
He said doctors were continuously assessing his condition.
The hockey great had suffered a cardiac arrest on Tuesday morning and has been on ventilator support since then. He had suffered two more cardiac arrests on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Kabir had said, “Nana ji suffered two more cardiac arrests yesterday. His condition has not deteriorated since then but continues to be very critical and on ventilator assistance.”
The 96-year-old was admitted to a private hospital in Mohali with high fever on May 8.
In January last year, he was discharged from PGIMER, Chandigarh after spending 108 days in the hospital, where he underwent treatment for bronchial pneumonia.
One of the country’s greatest athletes, Balbir Sr was the only Indian among 16 legends chosen by the International Olympic Committee across modern Olympic history.
His world record for most goals scored by an individual in the men’s hockey final of the Olympics still remains unbeaten.
He had scored five goals in India’s 6-1 victory over the Netherlands in the gold medal match of the 1952 Helsinki Games. He was conferred with the Padma Shri in 1957.
He was also the manager of India’s World Cup-winning team in 1975.
Sportstar
Hockey India holds coaching pathway session for journalists
Hockey India's High Performance Director David John helmed Coaching Education Pathway for 11 journalists on Saturday.
Uthra Ganesan
After domestic coaches, current and former players, Hockey India extended the scope of its Coaching Education Pathway by holding an extensive online session for journalists on Saturday.
The exclusive four-hour long session, helmed by High Performance Director David John, saw 11 journalists attending the event – equivalent of Level 0 for the coaches -- to get an idea about the behind-the-scenes working of the coaching staff with the national team and how the federation was engaging to develop a common coaching system in tune with modern hockey.
Besides the coaching methodology and assessment modules for players at the highest level, the session also saw David explaining the challenges of balancing on and off-field training of Indian coaches to ensure the right message passes down to the grassroots. Prerequisites of a good coach, basic and advanced hockey skills and modern hockey terminologies were explained.
Emphasising that making coaching a two-way interaction between the coach and players was essential, David also insisted that the best players did not always become best coaches because they could not verbalise their training process for others.
“Best teams in the world have the most transparent strategy but the best execution,” he summarised.
The major rule changes in hockey, challenges and characteristics of a good coach and, most importantly, some of the reasons behind the absence of qualified Indian coaches in the sport were all discussed in detail. “It was great to know how journalists look at the game from the outside. It was interesting to face certain questions from them that reflected their passion. I hope the journalists were able to understand what we at Hockey India wish to achieve through these courses for the Indian coaches,” David said.
The Hockey India Coaching Education Pathway was launched in March last year with over 600 Indian coaches having been part of the course and 250 of them clearing the Level 1 certification. The courses move from Level 0 through two followed by the FIH Academy Levels one to three with the FIH High Performance Coach being the pinnacle.
Sportstar
SSTMI ready to take on rivals in JHL
By Jugjet Singh
DOUBLE champions Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) will play in the Junior Hockey League (JHL) even if six of their stalwarts receive a national call-up.
The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) have scheduled the start of the postponed JHL on Sept 30 but is pending the approval of the Sports Ministry, National Security Council and the Education Ministry.
If the date is confirmed, JHL will likely be held for a month, followed by the Sultan of Johor Cup (SOJC) on Oct 3-10 at the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor Baru.
Both are under-21 events.
"My players will have ample time to get into shape and train if the JHL starts in September.
"And even if the team lose some players to the SOJC training camp, I will have no problems with it.
"Other teams will also have to release their top players for the camp, so there will be a balance in the JHL," said SSTMI coach Wan Roslan Wan Rahman.
Last season, SSTMI won both the league and the TNB Cup.
New Straits Times
Helen and Kate Richardson-Walsh on motherhood in lockdown
By Jo Currie
The Richardson-Walshes with daughter Pfeiffer
"We've been tired before as athletes - you train hard and there are periods when you're exhausted - but this is a whole new level of fatigue.
"Sleep deprivation is like a new form of torture," says new mum Kate Richardson-Walsh.
Former Great Britain hockey players Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh are no strangers to pushing their bodies to the limits.
The married couple won Olympic gold medals at the 2016 Rio Games but have now embarked on the new challenge of motherhood.
Helen gave birth to their daughter Pfeiffer on New Year's Eve, meaning much of the time they have spent with her has been during the Covid-19 lockdown - something they describe as "hectic".
"It's really new and really challenging but it's been amazing as well," Helen tells BBC Sport.
"We actually feel quite grateful that we don't have a toddler who needs space.
"We live in an upstairs, really small, two-bed flat with no garden, so we're grateful we don't have someone who can run around.
"We've been able to spend loads of time with her together so that's been really nice. The challenging thing for us is we don't have much work, so not really earning any money is a massive challenge."
Pfeiffer was born on New Year's Eve
Kate adds that not being able to see family in person has been tough.
"They can do video calls but I think Pfeiffer thinks everyone is 2D, she wants to touch them but she can't," she says.
"It'll be nice when she can interact with them and other children her age."
'I never enjoyed running - now I do'
Helen had complications after pregnancy and needed surgery and she admits it took her time to "feel like myself again".
She has built up her fitness by running - something she was not a big fan of when she was an elite athlete.
"Believe or not, as an athlete I just loved chasing a ball around on a hockey pitch but make me go and run, I hated it really," she says.
She has been following the NHS Couch to 5K programme and is enjoying it.
"I am someone who likes a challenge and a plan," Helen says.
"It's amazing. It starts off really slow and steady and it's going really well. I'm just enjoying going outside and excited to see how it builds up over the next few weeks."
'Follow your instincts'
The Richardson-Walshes made their Olympic debuts together at the Sydney Games in 2000 and started dating in 2008, before marrying in 2013.
During their time as athletes, they crossed paths with many athletes from different sports, something that has come in handy when it comes to parental advice.
"Lizzy Yarnold [double Olympic skeleton champion] said just roll with it and follow your instincts and that's just Lizzy - she's so relaxed and chilled in that way. She said get in touch if you ever want anything or need any help," Helen says.
Kate says they saw former England netballer and head coach Tracey Neville before lockdown. "Tracey gave birth at a similar time. When we saw her, she and Helen were supporting each other which was nice," she says.
Reigning Olympic champions for another year
Kate and Helen will get to keep the title of Olympic champion for a fifth year after the 2020 Tokyo Games were postponed until 2021.
They say that while the disruption will be difficult for some athletes, having the extra 12 months to prepare for the Games could help Great Britain in their bid for another medal.
"They have had a really challenging three years to be honest," Helen says.
"After the Olympics it is always hard anyway but they were dealing with the fact that some of the squad were Olympic champions and some of them were not, in terms of who actually played in Rio.
"That's a challenging dynamic and then there was a change of coach so in terms of the team, another 12 months will be perfect."
Kate continues: "There will be younger players who have just come into that squad who will be thinking, I can make massive gains here and I can break into that team.
"Lots of things can change so I think that is quite exciting for the squad - who knows where they will be in 12 months' time?"
BBC Sport