News for 10 June 2020
All the news for Wednesday 10 June 2020
FIH Chief Batra refutes accusations, writes to IOC
Team S2H
Indian Olympic Association president Dr. Narendra Batra has refuted the allegation levelled by his association vice-president recently, and hit back with a strong missive to the president of the International Olympic Committee. Earlier, Mr. Sudhansu Mittal, Vice-president of the IOA and also an official spokesperson of the ruling BJP party, has complained to the IOC that the election of Dr. Batra to the post of President, FIH, is illegal. Shortly after the accusation, Batra, who is in self quarantine, wrote to Thomas Bach, President, IOC, refusing all the allegations.
IOA & FIH President Batra with IOC President (r)
We reproduce Dr.Batra’s reply to Dr. Thomas Bach.
‘I am sending this message today in reference to the email of Mr. Sudhanshu Mittal, Vice President Indian Olympic Association dated Saturday 6 June 2020 at 4.47 P.M. Although the email of Mr. Mittal is self motivated and clearly his intent is to malign my reputation ahead of the Indian Olympic Association elections scheduled for 2021, I felt that it was necessary to briefly address the misleading comments of Mr. Mittal in his above mentioned email to you all on 6 June 2020.
I would personally like to assure you that I have at no stage flouted any of the Rules and Regulations of the Indian Olympic Association or the International Hockey Federation in my election as President of the Indian Olympic Association which was held on 14 December 2017. It is disappointing that Mr. Mittal, who himself was elected as Vice President of the Indian Olympic Association in the same elections, is now trying to damage my image & reputation as a means to project himself as he intends to stand as a candidate for the post of President in the 2021 Indian Olympic Association elections.
I have addressed the points raised by Mr Mittal in his email dated Saturday 6 June 2020 at 4.47 P.M as below:–
1. Mr. Mittal refers to Article 7.2 of the FIH Statutes
Please be aware that the above Article 7.2 is in the FIH Statutes with effect from 3 November 2018. My election to the post of the Indian Olympic Association was on 14 December 2017 and as such this Article was not applicable at the time of my IOA elections.
Further I was elected to the post of President of the International Hockey Federation on 12 November 2016. For both my election to the Indian Olympic Association in 2017 and the International Hockey Federation in 2016, the FIH Statues dated 12 November 2016 was applicable and no such Article appears in the FIH Statutes of 2016.
To ensure there was no conflict of interest in my election as President, International Hockey Federation, I resigned from the post of President, Hockey India on 25 November 2016.
2. Mr. Mittal refers to Article 10.3 of the IOA Constitution
Again, it is disappointing that Mr. Mittal is raising the issue of my ineligibility to stand in the Indian Olympic Association elections 2.5 years after the elections were held on *14 December 2017.* Mr. Mittal himself stood in these elections and won the post of Vice President Indian Olympic. At the time Mr. Mittal had no objections with my election as President Indian Olympic Association.
As mentioned in Mr. Mittal’s email and reconfirmed above, I did resign from my Hockey India Office Bearers post in 2016, however retained my position as a Life Member of Hockey India.
An almost similar objection was raised on 4 December 2017 to the Indian Olympic Association Election Commission by Mrs. Praveen Mahajan, President of the All India Tennis Association regarding my ineligibility for inclusion in the Electoral College List for the Indian Olympic Association elections scheduled for 14 December 2017. The complaint was withdrawn by Mrs. Mahajan and the Election Commission, which comprised of three retired Hon’ble High Court Judges unanimously advised that there was no substance to the complaint.
Please excuse the brief reply and having to send the same over whatsApp, unfortunately as you might be aware that my family is currently combating a Covid-19 outbreak in my home where 7 Members are Covid-19 positive and as such I am in quarantine and unable to leave my residence and not scheduled to return to the office until after 20 June 2020. I do hope that the above clarifications will be taken on record in the meantime, and once I return to the office I will send a more detailed reply including the relevant documents and attachments to refute the allegations made by this malicious motivated individual.
Warm Regards
*Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra*
Member IOC
President FIH
President Indian Olympic Association.
Stick2Hockey.com
Batra denies breaking rules on way to election as FIH and IOA President
By Liam Morgan
Narinder Batra has responded to the allegations in a message to IOC President Thomas Bach and the Executive Board ©Facebook
Narinder Batra has insisted he did not break any rules on his way to being elected President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) as he rejected allegations made by senior IOA official Sudhanshu Mittal.
In a WhatsApp message sent to International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach and the IOC Executive Board, Batra said he had at "no stage flouted any of the rules and regulations of the IOA or the FIH".
The FIH and IOA President claimed Mittal, who asked the IOC to take action after alleging Batra's election to the top job at the worldwide hockey body was "illegal", had sought to "malign my reputation" prior to IOA elections next year.
In the message, seen by insidethegames, Batra also labels Mittal's accusations "misleading" and claims the IOA vice-president had tried to "damage my image and reputation as a means to project himself as he intends to stand as a candidate for the post of IOA President".
Mittal had claimed in a letter sent to Bach, the IOC Executive Board and other members that Batra had breached FIH statutes as he was still the head of Hockey India when he was elected President of the global body in November 2016.
While the FIH confirmed this was the case, Batra said Mittal had referenced a later edition of the FIH statutes and there was nothing in the regulations when he was voted in as President that prevented him from holding the position with Hockey India.
Batra resigned as Hockey India President two weeks after becoming FIH President "to ensure there was no conflict of interest".
A claim from Mittal that Batra should have been ineligible to stand for IOA President in December 2017 was also dismissed by the 63-year-old.
Batra said he remained a life member of Hockey India and highlighted how a similar objection to him being a candidate for one of the highest-profile roles in Indian sport, made just weeks before the IOA election, had been rejected because there was "no substance to the complaint".
"Again, it is disappointing that Mr. Mittal is raising the issue of my ineligibility to stand in the IOA elections two-and-a-half years after the elections were held on 14 December 2017," Batra, an IOC member by virtue of his IOA Presidency, said.
"Mr. Mittal himself stood in these elections and won the post of IOA vice-president.
"At the time Mr. Mittal had no objections with my election as President of the IOA."
The IOA has been plagued by a bitter dispute between senior officials in recent months, seemingly triggered by a public row between Batra and secretary general Rajeev Mehta.
Batra said he would assume many of the functions usually carried out by the secretary general, triggering a split within the IOA and leading to Mehta accusing him of acting illegally by seemingly dissolving the IOA Ethics Commission.
Inside the Games
Zach’s raring to get back to the pitch
Zach Wallace is one of the youngest members of the Great Britain men’s squad. The midfielder made his debut for the senior England team in 2018, in a test match against Belgium, before bursting onto the stage with some energetic performances in the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup in Bhubaneswar. Since then, the 20 year-old has been a mainstay of the team, playing in all the England and Great Britain FIH Pro League fixtures. He was nominated for the FIH Rising Star award in 2019.
Who influenced you to pick up a stick and get into hockey?
Zach Wallace: It was my dad who influenced me to get into hockey. He used to be a pretty good player himself so when I was younger I would go to watch his games. I would be messing around with a stick and a ball at the side of the pitch.
Who are your role models within the game?
Zach Wallace: Firstly it would be my dad. When I was really young he was my coach for the first few years I played hockey. In more recent times, Mark Pearn has been the influence on me. He has coached me at Surbiton (English National League team) for the past four or five seasons now and he is one of the main reasons I have developed into being an international player in the past few years.
Can you sum up your playing style?
Zach Wallace: Just going for it and not over-thinking things.
What is your standout moment on the pitch?
Zach Wallace: One moment that stands out for me in my short international career so far is the 2018 World Cup quarter final against Argentina. We had a very young team and they were reigning Olympic champions so favourites for the game. But we stuck together and came out as 3-2 winners which was a huge result for us as a team. But there is a lot more to come from me and hopefully some memorable moments to be made.
How has the transition from U21 to senior been for you?
Zach Wallace: I found the step-up from U21 to senior really enjoyable. I tend to be someone who takes things in my stride so I have enjoyed every moment of stepping up from U21 to the seniors.The one thing that stands out is the pace of the game. You have a bit less time to think, a bit less time on the ball so you have to be sharper with everything that you do.
How has the Covid-19 situation affected you in the past few weeks and what things have the squad been doing to stay connected?
Zach Wallace: It has not been ideal for preparations for Tokyo [Olympic Games 2021] but we are a close group so we have been having Zoom calls and Facebook meetings, just keeping up to date and seeing what everyone is up to. We have just been trying to keep it as fun as possible really. It is not the best situation so we don’t want to put a massive emphasis on performance right now, so we are keeping it light-hearted and just keep things ticking over until we go back. I am lucky as I live with a couple of guys in the squad so we have kept it quite competitive when we have been doing training and gym, just to keep it fun.
What are you looking forward to as the lockdown restrictions ease?
Zach Wallace: I am definitely looking forward to just being with the squad on the trips abroad. I’m looking forward to playing some tough competitive games. I am one of those players who prefers games over training so the sooner we can get back on the pitch the better.
Profile*: Zach Wallace – England and Great Britain
Position: Midfield
Shirt number: 32
Age: 20
International appearances: 42
Place of birth: England
You can follow Zach on Twitter @Zachw_9 and on Instagram _zachwallace
* Information correct as of 9 June 2020.
FIH site
Indian men’s hockey’s five greatest moments: From 1936 Olympic triumph to 1998 Asian Games glory
India made its first Olympic appearance in the 1928 Amsterdam Games and went on to win six consecutive titles
Abhijeet Kulkarni
There is no doubt that Indian hockey doesn’t dominate the sport as it did in the years gone by. The team that won a stunning eight Olympic gold medals failed to qualify for the quadrennial Games in 2008 for the first time since their debut.
India made its first Olympic appearance in the 1928 Amsterdam Games and went on to win six consecutive titles. The first three of these came under the British-India flag with the legendary Dhyan Chand leading the charge.
Here’s a look at the five greatest moments for the men’s national hockey team.
1936 Berlin Olympics gold
This was an era when India was considered invincible with Dhyan Chand as captain for the Berlin Games. But the Indian team did not have an auspicious start, losing to hosts Germany in a practice game before the Olympics.
But that just proved to be a blip in their overall campaign as they settled into a goal-scoring rhythm once the Games started. The team had 20 goals in the three group stage matches while conceding none. They then swatted aside France 10-0 in the semi-finals with Dhyan Chand scoring four and his brother Roop Singh contributing three to the tally.
The final against Germany was expected to be a close contest given the practice game result and the support the host team had but the Indian team clearly had other plans. They dominated the proceedings throughout to clinch the title with a 8-1 victory with Dhyan Chand scoring a hat-trick.
India could have added another gold to its tally in the subsequent editions but the Olympics wasn’t held in 1940 and 1944 due to the World War.
1948 London Olympics gold
There is a special place in everyone’s heart for any first and the 1948 London Olympics gold medal, won by the newly-independent India against the very country that ruled the nation for over 150 years has to be special.
It was a struggle to put together a strong team after the partition as some of the top Indian players at that time had moved to Pakistan, forcing the defending champions to pick a few youngsters in the squad. One of them was Balbir Singh Sr, who went on to become a legend of Indian hockey.
A total of 13 teams were to participate in the hockey event in the first Games after the World War, and though India was considered to be favourites thanks to their pedigree and three previous triumphs, hosts Britain and Pakistan were formidable opponents.
The Indian team topped the group and defeated Netherlands 2-1 in the semi-finals to set up the summit clash against the hosts.
Balbir Singh Sr, who died earlier this month, had spoken about the way the final progressed. “When we took the field in the final, the jam-packed stadium was rooting for their team, but as the match went on, impressed with our game, the crowd started cheering for us. That was the golden era of Indian hockey and I hope the day will come when we will again rule the world.”
He scored the first two goals and as they team hammered the hosts 4-0 to witness the tricolour of independent India being hoisted for the first time at the Olympic Games. The centre forward played a key role in helping India complete a hat-trick of titles by clinching the 1952 and 1956 Olympic gold medals as well.
1964 Tokyo Olympics gold
This was the first time India wasn’t going into the competition as the defending champions. Four years earlier, India had lost to arch-rivals Pakistan in the final at Rome and were actually considered underdogs in the quadrennial event as the neighbours had also beaten them in Asian Games finals two years earlier.
India and Pakistan stormed through the group stage and set up a third straight Olympics final with comfortable victories over Australia and Spain respectively.
The summit clash was a fast paced but ill-tempered encounter and the game had to be stopped midway for a while due to a physical assault by a Pakistani player on his Indian counterpart. The opening half was a goal-less affair but the Indians showed more resolve at the start of the second half. This helped them earn a penalty corner. Prithpal Singh’s hit was deflected on the leg of a Pakistani defender and Mohinder Lal converted the ensuing penalty stroke to give India the lead.
Custodian Shankar Lakshman was then the star of the Indian team as he saved two penalty corners in the dying minutes of the match and came up with a few more saves to ensure that India clinched its seventh hockey gold at the Olympics. The team got a grand reception after their return to India and were also part of the Republic Day parade in January 1965.
1975 World Championships gold
India may have won eight gold medals at the Olympics but the team doesn’t have much to show at the World Cups. India had failed to win any major title since the 1966 Asian Games and had even slipped to third spot at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics.
The World Cup started only in 1971 and by then the Indian team was not the force it used to be in the 1950s and early 60s. They had won a bronze in the inaugural edition and a silver in 1973 but not many would have given Ajit Pal Singh and his team a chance of bagging the gold in Kuala Lumpur.
They had scraped through to the top of the group stage and only a late fightback in the semi-final against hosts Malaysia helped them seal the final berth against Pakistan in extra time.
In the final again, it was Pakistan who drew first blood when Zahid Sheikh found the net in the first half. Surjit Singh then converted a penalty corner nine minutes into the second half to draw level before Ashok Kumar, Dhyan Chand’s son, scored seven minutes later to hand Indians the lead. It was a slightly controversial goal as the Pakistani players felt that the ball had not rolled in after hitting the goalpost but the referee felt otherwise.
“Definitely, pressure was there [for us to win]. More because of my family background. When we reached Malaysia and I saw the World Cup trophy for the first time in hotel lobby, I made a promise to myself that I will make my father proud,” Ashok Kumar had said about that historic victory.
That triumph, however, also signalled the end of India’s golden period. India did go on to win their eighth Olympic gold in Moscow five years later but those Games were boycotted by most hockey playing nations and the only formidable opponent Vasudevan Bhaskaran’s team had to beat to clinch the gold medal was Spain.
1998 Asian Games gold
In the history of Asian Games, India has won just three gold medals with the latest coming in 2014 in Incheon. But it was the second that was special because Indian hockey was going through a difficult phase with administrative problems and in-fighting while there were quite a few teams in the continent who were playing quality hockey.
South Korea came into the 1998 Asian Games as defending champions and their fast-paced style of hockey had been consistently hurting the Indians. Unlike the present, Pakistan was still a force to reckon with and India needed something special to end a 32-year wait for an Asian Games gold.
No one in the Dhanraj Pillay-led squad was born when India last won the gold medal in the continental competition but there was a sense of belief in the team which aimed to repeat the feat of their predecessors in Bangkok after three decades.
The Indian team sailed through the group stage and then defeated Japan in the semi-finals to make their third successive final. Four years earlier, India had a similar run to the summit clash before losing to South Korea, who always managed to raise the bar in the knock-out games.
It looked like the final in Bangkok would also go the same way when the Indians conceded an early goal. But Pillay, who scored a total of 11 goals in the tournament, equalised in the 23rd minute. With both teams failing to break that deadlock, the match headed into a shoot-out.
India normally used to put AB Subbiah in goal for the shoot-out, but on that day coach MK Kaushik and Pillay decided to continue with Ashish Balal, who had made some important saves in regular play, and the custodian came up with two acts of brilliance to held India win 4-2.
It was a special win and the belief was that this core of players had the potential to bring back glory days for Indian hockey. However, within two months of that triumph coach Kaushik and six players were suspended by the Indian Hockey Federation for asking a graded payment system to be implemented and the momentum was lost.
Honourable mentions
India’s other two Asian Games triumphs are also worth mentioning here. In the 1966 Games, India played with 10 men for major part of the match against Pakistan after right winger Balbir Singh injured his knee in the 10th minute of the match. He, however, came back in the second half of extra time and managed to score the winner that gave India their first Asian Games title.
Six years earlier in South Korea, it was PR Sreejesh who did the star turn in a penalty shoot-out to help the team beat their arch-rivals 4-2 after the match had ended 1-1 in regulation time. The team had lost the group stage match against Pakistan and needed a special effort in the summit clash and all credit to the team for putting up a fantastic show when it mattered. But just like it happened in 1998, the outspoken Australian coach Terry Walsh had to depart within a few months of the triumph and the team had to restart from scratch once again.
The two other high points for the Indian men’s team since then have been their back-to-back final appearances in the Champions Trophy in 2016 and 2018 where they lost to eventual champions on penalties.
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