India fails to make it to Olympic hockey
10 Mar 2008, 0544 hrs IST,PTI
SANTIAGO: Scoring twice in the first-half, Britain ended India's Olympic dreams (Watch) with a 2-0 win in the final of the World Hockey qualifying tournament at Santiago.
Barry Middleton (4th minute) and Richard Mantell (10th) struck for Britain who then showed the discipline and character to withstand intense pressure to emerge deserving winners while qualifying for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Eight time gold medallists India thus failed to make it to the Olympics for the first time since their debut in 1928.
While the Britain players celebrated to the accompaniment of the song "We are the Champions", the Indian, heads bowed, shoulders slumped, could only watch the jubilant scenes of a team that played smarter if not better hockey.
On the day, it was Britain who showed a lot of steel in dealing with the massive pressure they were subjected to by the Indian forwards. The difference was that Britain, who had beaten India 3-2 in the league, capitalized on the two early chances that came their way, while the Indians did not.
In contrast, India could never really settle down and the two yellow cards to their key players, midfielder Sardara Singh and forward Prabhjot Singh filled their cup of woe. It brought the number of yellow cards to five in three matches.
India also blew five penalty corners with neither Ramachandra Raghunath with his drag-flicks nor Dilip Tirkey with his direct hits able to convert. In fact, their set-piece drill in the second-half was rather pathetic, as the ball was not even stopped cleanly.
India, the eight time gold medallist, have failed to make it to the Olympics for the first time since their debut in 1928. India suffered a 0-2 loss to Great Britain in the final of the World Hockey qualifying tournament at Santiago. Is it right to blame the players for the plight of the national game? Isn't the step-motherly treatment meted out to them in comparison to the cricketers responsible for the sorry state of affairs? Shouldn't the corporate and glam world look beyond cricket to benefit other sports? Write in with your views .
From India, New Delhi
10 Mar 2008, 0544 hrs IST,PTI
SANTIAGO: Scoring twice in the first-half, Britain ended India's Olympic dreams (Watch) with a 2-0 win in the final of the World Hockey qualifying tournament at Santiago.
Barry Middleton (4th minute) and Richard Mantell (10th) struck for Britain who then showed the discipline and character to withstand intense pressure to emerge deserving winners while qualifying for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Eight time gold medallists India thus failed to make it to the Olympics for the first time since their debut in 1928.
While the Britain players celebrated to the accompaniment of the song "We are the Champions", the Indian, heads bowed, shoulders slumped, could only watch the jubilant scenes of a team that played smarter if not better hockey.
On the day, it was Britain who showed a lot of steel in dealing with the massive pressure they were subjected to by the Indian forwards. The difference was that Britain, who had beaten India 3-2 in the league, capitalized on the two early chances that came their way, while the Indians did not.
In contrast, India could never really settle down and the two yellow cards to their key players, midfielder Sardara Singh and forward Prabhjot Singh filled their cup of woe. It brought the number of yellow cards to five in three matches.
India also blew five penalty corners with neither Ramachandra Raghunath with his drag-flicks nor Dilip Tirkey with his direct hits able to convert. In fact, their set-piece drill in the second-half was rather pathetic, as the ball was not even stopped cleanly.
India, the eight time gold medallist, have failed to make it to the Olympics for the first time since their debut in 1928. India suffered a 0-2 loss to Great Britain in the final of the World Hockey qualifying tournament at Santiago. Is it right to blame the players for the plight of the national game? Isn't the step-motherly treatment meted out to them in comparison to the cricketers responsible for the sorry state of affairs? Shouldn't the corporate and glam world look beyond cricket to benefit other sports? Write in with your views .
From India, New Delhi
This is the sadest day for Indian Hockey.The politics is eating us.Specaily hockey everybody is concerned about money.
From India, New Delhi
From India, New Delhi
poor hockey team...
if they are not qualified then they will be under radar...
many coach will be sacked...
first sack that IHF chief...
and entire india watch that useless cricket..
money flows into that..
our hockey players suffers..
in what way the hockey players are not at par witth our criketers..?
they always mistreated/illtreated...
only god can save indian hockey despite we have many great stars..
From India, Pune
if they are not qualified then they will be under radar...
many coach will be sacked...
first sack that IHF chief...
and entire india watch that useless cricket..
money flows into that..
our hockey players suffers..
in what way the hockey players are not at par witth our criketers..?
they always mistreated/illtreated...
only god can save indian hockey despite we have many great stars..
From India, Pune
sir,
It is saddest day in Indian sports.After 80 years India failed to qualify for
the Olympics.When every sports persons fighting new status to the other
sports apart from cricket,Indians failure to make up to Olympics is death nail to the sports lovers.It is the time to Government should revamp the
IHF & take the controll from the so called politicians.
Thanking you,
Ghouse Mohiddin[/url]
It is saddest day in Indian sports.After 80 years India failed to qualify for
the Olympics.When every sports persons fighting new status to the other
sports apart from cricket,Indians failure to make up to Olympics is death nail to the sports lovers.It is the time to Government should revamp the
IHF & take the controll from the so called politicians.
Thanking you,
Ghouse Mohiddin[/url]
Mr KPS Gill has remarked (on NDTV) that he has no 'Instant Coffee Machine' to produce instant results. Considering the fact that he has been at the helm of IHF for donkey's years, it appears he has forgotten to switch his Coffee Machine ON !!(whichever he has)!!! or more obviously does not know how to USE it!! :x
Let us admit that as a nation we have forgotten Hockey as a game . We have been neglecting it since long paying only lip service. That is why we have a bureaucratic IHF, no talent building and search programmes for identifying the upcoming players and no sponsoring by the country's industrial houses.
Hockey can be revived in India. We require a dedicated body to take this game forward and create some glamour to it like BCCI for cricket.
Mohan.
From India
Hockey can be revived in India. We require a dedicated body to take this game forward and create some glamour to it like BCCI for cricket.
Mohan.
From India
Almost all the former hockey players have lamented lack of proper adminsitrators for what has happened and how administrators make scapegoats out of coaches while going scotfree.
The basic issue is the credentials of people who run sport in our country. We ask such questions only when there is a debacle. One wonders what the credentials are of people like KPS Gill. Priya Ranjan Das Munshi is at the helm at football and even lalloo prasad yadav wanted to become President of Bihar's cricket association. For that matter, one wonders about the credentials of Sharad Pawar and Rakesh shukla, Presdent and Vice president of BCCI. Some ot the autobiograpshies written by superstars of Indian cricket reflect the board in a poor light.
Sports adminstration is a speicalized job and should be handled by professionals. We need proper Recruitment, Transparency Talent and performance Management in the administration as well as the sport. It is a strange irony that we have all these things in companies but not in places where national pride and performance are at stake.
From India, New Delhi
The basic issue is the credentials of people who run sport in our country. We ask such questions only when there is a debacle. One wonders what the credentials are of people like KPS Gill. Priya Ranjan Das Munshi is at the helm at football and even lalloo prasad yadav wanted to become President of Bihar's cricket association. For that matter, one wonders about the credentials of Sharad Pawar and Rakesh shukla, Presdent and Vice president of BCCI. Some ot the autobiograpshies written by superstars of Indian cricket reflect the board in a poor light.
Sports adminstration is a speicalized job and should be handled by professionals. We need proper Recruitment, Transparency Talent and performance Management in the administration as well as the sport. It is a strange irony that we have all these things in companies but not in places where national pride and performance are at stake.
From India, New Delhi
*** I ONLY WANTED TO SAY BE A SPORTING SPRIATE AND SPORTING ATTITUDE. AND NEXT TIME TEAM INDIA WILL COME BACK. PLEASE MOTIVATE THE TEAM. DONT DEMOTIVATE. Regards TOM & JERRY
From Australia, Mulgrave
From Australia, Mulgrave
All said and done, what support system is being provided to hockey players? The game of cricket has been so commercialized that it has been converted into a shameless market. The glory of hockey has rarely been highlighted by the media.
Yeah, but as they say, what's the use of rationalizing?
Regards,
Gunjan
From India, Patiala
Yeah, but as they say, what's the use of rationalizing?
Regards,
Gunjan
From India, Patiala
It is the problem with our marketing of the game..Sponsers are running behind the cricket team.., because they have more to offer for the spectators..
But the reality is that, if there is worldcup football going on..lets take, between argentina X brazil, nederlands X germany..atleast for a few moments our attention will be for that match, keeping aside our cricketing heroes. The same is with hokey, tennis. Think of one of our athlet competing in the 100 meter sprint in the olympics!..all the indain fans attention will be for that moment...So the sponsers, sports loving celebrities and business persons or well wishers should take more initatiove for making the game more colourful and motivating. then more people will be attracted and we will get more young talents..eventually the game will be developed and we will have the best team..
lets hope our name in sports and games will spread across the globe..
From Kuwait, Kuwait
But the reality is that, if there is worldcup football going on..lets take, between argentina X brazil, nederlands X germany..atleast for a few moments our attention will be for that match, keeping aside our cricketing heroes. The same is with hokey, tennis. Think of one of our athlet competing in the 100 meter sprint in the olympics!..all the indain fans attention will be for that moment...So the sponsers, sports loving celebrities and business persons or well wishers should take more initatiove for making the game more colourful and motivating. then more people will be attracted and we will get more young talents..eventually the game will be developed and we will have the best team..
lets hope our name in sports and games will spread across the globe..
From Kuwait, Kuwait
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