Begin typing your search above and press return to search.
proflie-avatar
Login
exit_to_app
dollar
access_time 5 Dec 2024 12:22 PM GMT
Can Iran go nuclear?
access_time 5 Dec 2024 4:44 AM GMT
CPIM in cold sweat of implosion
access_time 4 Dec 2024 4:59 AM GMT
Farmers anger erupting again
access_time 3 Dec 2024 8:10 AM GMT
DEEP READ
Munambam Waqf issue decoded
access_time 16 Nov 2024 5:18 PM GMT
Ukraine
access_time 16 Aug 2023 5:46 AM GMT
Foreign espionage in the UK
access_time 22 Oct 2024 8:38 AM GMT
exit_to_app
Homechevron_rightSportschevron_rightSports minister...

Sports minister questions Hockey India's decision to withdraw from 2022 Common Wealth Games

text_fields
bookmark_border
Anurag Thakur
cancel
camera_alt

Union Sports minister Anurag Thakur/ File Photo


New Delhi: Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday came down heavily on Hockey India's decision to pull out of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England next year, saying that this is not the federation's decision alone to make.

The minister said that the government should have been consulted before announcing such a major decision.

"I think any federation should refrain from passing these kinds of statements. They should discuss it with the government first. It is not the federation's team that is going. It is the country's team that goes for an event. In a country of 130 crore, there just are not 18 players who can represent the country. I believe Hockey India should consult with the government and the Sports department," Thakur said.

"There is no shortage of talent in hockey in our country. If you see cricket, the IPL is going on and then there is the World Cup. If they can't play, then why cannot the same be done in other sports? I understand Asian Games is being prioritised, I am not going into this issue. I am just saying where India will be playing just does not lie with the federation; it lies with the government as well," he added.

Hockey India recently confirmed the withdrawal of its men's and women's teams from next year's Birmingham Commonwealth Games, citing COVID-19 concerns and UK's discriminatory quarantine rules for travellers from the country.

In a letter to Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chief Narinder Batra, HI president Gyanendro Ningombam cited the 'discriminatory restrictions' that are 'biased against India' as one of the reasons for the pull-out.

HI also reasoned that there is only a 32-day window available between the Birmingham Games (July 28-August 8) and the Hangzhou Asian Games (September 10-25), which is a direct qualifier for 2024 Paris Olympics.

Show Full Article
TAGS:#Anurag ThakurHockey IndiaCommon Wealth Games 2022
Next Story