Sports ministry clears national camp after HI’s flip-flop
March 5th, 2012 - 10:52 pm ICT by IANSNew Delhi, March 5 (IANS) The sports ministry Monday finally paved the way for the national hockey team’s camp that will start Tuesday at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Bangalore.
The decision was taken after the steering committee of the sports ministry approved Hockey India’s (HI) Long Term Development Plan (LTDP) here. The camp with 48 probables for the Olympics was originally scheduled to start Monday.
Steering committee chairman Rahul Bhatnagar, a joint secretary in the sports ministry, blamed HI for the delay.
“First they said the camp will start from March 13. Then immediately after the qualifiers they wanted it to be held from March 5. But there are certain procedures and the players ideally should have been given some rest. The flip-flop from HI was surprising. Today we have cleared their LTDP and the camp will start from Tuesday,” Bhatnagar told IANS.
HI secretary general Narinder Batra refused to comment on the flip-flop by his body.
“I don’t want to go into those details now. The good thing is that the camp is beginning from tomorrow. We have also got approval on LTDP from the Sports Ministry,” Batra told reporters after the meeting.
Batra also refused to comment when asked if action will be taken against those players, who are competing in the unsanctioned World Series Hockey (WSH).
“I don’t want to say anything on that. Let the camp begin tomorrow and see who are the players who report to the camp”, he said.
Batra also said that HI have got an approval on Indian team’s proposed tour to Pakistan but it will be finalised only after getting the approval of other ministries.
“In principle, we have got the permission, but we are yet to get permission from the home and external affairs ministries,” he said.
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- Players have to decide between India and WSH: Hockey India - Nov 16, 2011
- Six top Indian hockey players pull out of WSH - Nov 30, 2011
- World Series Hockey an unsanctioned event: FIH - Jul 22, 2011
- World Series Hockey postponed to Feb 29 - Dec 12, 2011
- WSH gets National Stadium, Olympic camps shifted out - Dec 02, 2011
- FIH gives a month to HI and IHF to work out merger formula - Feb 26, 2012
- WSH organisers want government to mediate with HI - Dec 10, 2011
- Hockey India paid higher hosting fee for World Cup: Gill - Jun 08, 2011
- Virtually entire hockey squad in WSH list - Nov 17, 2011
- Six more Indian hockey players pull out of WSH - Dec 01, 2011
- HI bans Sandeep, Sardara for two years - Aug 27, 2011
- HI charges IHF with sabotaging India's Olympic preparations - Oct 07, 2011
- Court reserves order on plea against Hockey India 'threats' - Dec 07, 2011
Tags: bangalore, batra, committee chairman, external affairs, flip flop, India, narinder, national hockey team, New Delhi, olympics, pakistan, principle, probables, rahul, sai centre, secretary general, sports authority, sports ministry, steering committee, world series