Discussion in the world of Indian hockey team
Discussion in the world of Indian hockey team, Along with the players, the Odisha government is also a hero, Sports Minister said – will take Indian hockey to the level of 1980
Indian hockey team has won bronze medal for the country in Olympics after 41 years. Team India defeated Germany by 5-4 in the bronze medal match. Not only in the whole country, but all over the world, the Indian hockey team has been discussed once again after 1980, that is, after 4 decades. The team’s hard work is important, but the mention of the state Odisha, which not only sponsors the team, but also provides all facilities ranging from playground, sports equipment to practice, is also on everyone’s tongue today.
Tusharkanti Behera, Sports Minister, Odisha says, “In 2018 we took the responsibility of sponsoring the Indian hockey team. Earlier Sahara used to sponsor it. We told the apex body of hockey, you just train the players. We will not be limited to just financial support, but will also remove the administrative and logistical hurdles that come in the way of the game. We did the same thing…don’t let the police, administration and any kind of logistics come in the way of this game.’
Till 1980 India were the uncrowned kings of hockey : Odisha’s Sports Secretary Vinil Krishna says, ‘Hockey is the sport of India. Till 1980 we were its uncrowned king. Hockey is in the blood of India, it was known to our Chief Minister. Hockey is very much in trend especially in Orissa. So we talked to Narendra Dhruv Batra, the head of Hockey India, India’s top hockey body, apart from the budget, to talk about the lack of all the resources needed for hockey and all the logistics that come in the way of the game. Most of the organizations keep getting entangled with the administrative, check clearance and the agencies that give the green signal to play the team. The government took all this work in its own hands. Apart from this, we also talked in detail on what are the needs of the players, because when we talk about pursuing a game, it is more important than the budget to understand the needs of the players. That’s what we did.
Sports secretary Krishna said, “The players were kept in a well-equipped hotel in Bhubaneswar for almost three years. The logic behind this was that if the personal lifestyle of the players is healthy, then they will also perform well. The effect of sleeping, waking up and eating and drinking is clearly visible on the game. Therefore, along with accommodation, preference was given to the diet and facilities of the players. Asked Krishna if it was all related to the sponsorship agreement. Was all this expense part of the total amount of the sponsorship? They say – not at all, all this was different from the amount of sponsorship. It was an expenditure of crores. We already said that we were trying to revive the team which had died about 5 decades ago. So it doesn’t matter at all.’
“We didn’t want to get away with tearing checks just for the sponsorship amount,” says Krishna. The sponsorship amount was Rs 150 crore. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had clearly said, taking sponsorship does not mean just tearing the cheque. To become a player, you have to give your time. That’s what we did. It was our responsibility to stay in constant touch with Hockey India head Narender Batra ji and get updates as well as to remove his hurdles and difficulties. To provide them hockey stadium for practice. To bear all the expenses during that time. It was our responsibility.
Naveen Patnaik himself is also a hockey player, said – just paying money is not enough to make the game alive Odisha’s Sports Secretary Krishna told, ‘There is an interesting anecdote behind taking sponsorship of the hockey team. When we came to know that Sahara would no longer be able to sponsor hockey, Naveen Patnaik called the Sports Minister and the concerned staff and discussed. Asked, should we take the responsibility of hockey?
We all knew that hockey is Patnaik’s favorite sport. He himself used to play hockey in Doon School. He was an excellent goalkeeper. However, after that he played only as an amateur. But this game is close to his heart. He said that before saying yes to the sponsorship of the Indian team, it must be thought that just tearing the check is not enough to make a game alive. Not only the players but also the hard work of the team which stays behind the scenes is necessary to win. Apart from the training team and the coach, we also have to be the same hockey team.
