By IANS,
New Delhi : The ad-hoc committee running hockey will start its series of brainstorming session Thursday, discussing with various stakeholders how to improve hockey. The committee is expected to pick a panel of ten coaches, including six for the senior team, who will look after the progress of the national team.
The committee chaired by Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi will meet Olympians, current players and technical experts of the game in a series of four meetings to chart out the roadmap for Indian hockey.
“This is the first of a series of meetings, namely, with the State Hockey Associations (in end-August), with the media and sports administrators for the improvement of the standard of the game and related issues,” said ad-hoc committee convener Mohammad Aslam Khan.
The meeting with the Olympians, which was to be held during the just-concluded junior Asia Cup in Hyderabad, will discuss the overall development and future plans for hockey.
The committee, in its second phase, will invite state hockey associations, experts from media, to give their inputs on how to check the downward slide of Indian hockey.
“We will take everyone’s suggestion before deciding on the future course of action. We have a tough road ahead and with the hockey World Cup and 2010 Commonwealth Games to be hosted in India. We will have to see that India gets back on track right on time,” Aslam said.
The selection committee members Zafar Iqbal, Dhanraj Pillay, Ajit Kumar Singh, Ashok Kumar led by Aslam Sher Khan will also be present. Besides, hockey stars like Mohd Shahid, MM Subiaha, P Krishnamurthy, Ashish Balal, MP Ganesh, Gurfane Azam, Victor Ellis, Syed Jalaluddin Rizvi, Pargat Singh, BP Govinda, Col Harcharan Singh, Devesh Chauhan, MK Kaushik have been invited for the meeting. Among the present lot Dilip Tirkey, Gurbaj Singh, Prabhjot Singh have also been called.
Current junior coach A K Bansal, who led India to Azlan Shah runners-up podium and then the Asian Cup triumph, also has been invited to give his views on how to take the team to the next level.
Technical experts like Shakeel Qureshi, who has been recently inducted in the International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) umpires and managers panel, will also be present.
The ad hoc committee has approved the commencement of a number of domestic tournaments, including the Lal Bahadur Shastri and Baton Cup. The revival of the Indira Gandhi Gold Cup tournament has also been proposed.