News for 3 January 2009
Saturday, 03 January 2009 10:07 | 
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All the news for Saturday 3 January 2009
New Zealand in, Pakistan out of Punjab Gold Cup
NEW DELHI: Slamming the door on Pakistan, the ad-hoc committee for Indian hockey on Friday said New Zealand has confirmed their participation in the Punjab Gold Cup hockey tournament to be held in Chandigarh from January 31.
Co-convenor of ad-hoc committee Rajiv Mehta said that they have received a communication late on Thursday from Hockey New Zealand, saying they would be more than willing to send their national team for the four-nation event.
"New Zealand has confirmed their participation in the Punjab Gold Cup and they have already sent their team list," Mehta said.
The 22-member Kiwi team including four officials will reach here on January 29 en route to Chandigarh.
Pakistan was supposed to join Beijing Olympic gold medallist Germany, the Netherlands and host India for the tournament before the Mumbai terror attacks strained Indo-Pak sporting ties.
Even though Pakistan Hockey Federation was keen to send a team for the tournament, they decided to leave the final decision to the Foreign Office there.
The ad-hoc committee here insists Pakistan neither conveyed their willingness nor their inability to participate in the event.
"We didn't get any official confirmation from Pakistan," ad-hoc committee Media Adviser Anupam Gulati said.
Asked what the organisers would do if the Pakistan government gives green signal to the team to tour India, Gulati said, "We will take up the matter when it comes but so far nothing has come to us."
Meanwhile, former Olympian and Director of Punjab Sports Department Pargat Singh said they have dropped Jalandhar as a venue because of unavailability of quality astro-turf in the Surjit Singh Memorial Stadium.
"Yes, we have dropped Jalandhar as a venue because the astro-turf there is not of international standards," Pargat said.
"The astro-turf in the stadium was laid in 2000 and because of maximum use by local teams, the turf has patches all over it. I don't want the matches to be played in such conditions," he said.
Asked why it took so long to take the decision, considering the fact they more or less knew it would not be possible to lay new turf in such short period, Pargat said, "The decision to drop Jalandhar was taken in the last week of November, the day I realised it would not materialise. We have floated new tenders for laying of the surface."
The former India skipper said although Jalandhar won't host the matches, the format of the tournament will remain unchanged.
"The format will remain the same. It will be a double leg tournament and now Chandigarh will host both the legs," said Pargat.
The Times of India
NZ accept quadrangular invitation
NEW DELHI: New Zealand have accepted India’s invitation to replace Pakistan for a four-nation field hockey tournament starting later this month, media reports said on Friday.
The tournament, also featuring reigning world and Olympic champions Germany and fourth-ranked Netherlands, is scheduled to be played in the northern city of Chandigarh from January 31-February 9.
“We were keen on getting a good replacement for Pakistan, and New Zealand will make the competition even tougher,” tournament organiser Pargat Singh, a former India captain, told the Times of India newspaper.
Pakistan’s participation was ruled out due to heightened political tensions between the two countries following the deadly Mumbai attacks in November which India blames on elements in Pakistan.
The Indian government last month snapped sporting ties with Pakistan after the attacks and refused permission to the cricket team to play a scheduled Test series across the border.
New Zealand claimed seventh place at the Olympics with a 4-2 win over Pakistan in the classification round.
The next major world event for Germany and the Netherlands is the Champions Trophy in Melbourne in November. India and New Zealand did not qualify for the elite six-nation tournament.
India are scheduled to tour New Zealand for a four-match series in February and take part in the Asia Cup in Dubai in May.
The News International
NZ to replace Pakistan in hockey tournament
New Zealand will replace Pakistan in an elite four-nation men's hockey tournament to be hosted by India later this month.
The coup was announced today by Hockey New Zealand chief executive Ramesh Patel, who has secured top level tournament play for the Black Sticks at a cut-price cost.
The tournament, also featuring reigning world and Olympic champions Germany and fourth-ranked Netherlands, is scheduled to be played in the northern city of Chandigarh from January 31-February 9.
Pakistan's participation was ruled out due to heightened political tensions between the two countries following the deadly Mumbai attacks in November which India blames on elements in Pakistan.
The Indian government last month snapped sporting ties with Pakistan after the attacks and refused permission to the cricket team to play a scheduled test series across the border.
"It's a pretty good offer," Patel said tonight.
"They're paying for us to go over, which is a pretty good sort of a deal. It's worked out pretty well for us."
Patel said he and men's coach Shane McLeod had spent much of the Christmas-New Year period checking to see the top New Zealand players would be available for the series.
Most are as they would have been assembling anyway to prepare for a four-match home series against India next month.
"That series was always scheduled but now this suddenly come up and we've taken the opportunity because the Netherlands and Germany are there as well," Patel said.
"They're good opposition, obviously, so it's a great opportunity."
Tournament organiser Pargat Singh, a former India captain, told the Times of India newspaper seventh-ranked New Zealand were the ideal replacements for world No 8 Pakistan.
"We were keen on getting a good replacement for Pakistan, and New Zealand will make the competition even tougher," Singh said.
Eight-time Olympic champions India failed to qualify for the Beijing Games last August.
Germany won the gold in Beijing with a 1-0 win over Spain in the final, while the Dutch finished fourth after losing to Australia in the bronze medal play-off.
New Zealand claimed seventh place at the Olympics with a 4-2 win over Pakistan in the classification round.
Stuff
Pakistan cancels hockey team's tour to India
KARACHI: In a tit-for-tat response, Pakistan on Friday decided to call off its hockey team's tour to India for the four-nation Punjab Gold Cup tournament to be held later this month, citing "security risks for the players" as the reason for the cancellation.
The decision, which was expected after India scrapped its cricket team's tour across the border in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks, will further strain the sporting ties between the two countries.
Although Pakistan Hockey Federation was keen to send the national team to India, they left the final decision on the Foreign Office.
In view of the mounting tensions between the two nations, Sports Minister Jillani said the government had decided not to send the hockey team to India.
"There is a security risk in sending our players to India at this stage because of the mood in India. So we have not given permission to the PHF for the tour," he said.
Interestingly, Jillani's announcement came after the organisers of the tournament had already named New Zealand as Pakistan's replacement in the double-leg event that also features Beijing Olympic gold medallist Germany, the Netherlands and host India.
Pakistan's particpation in the tournament, to be held in Chandigarh from January 31, had come under cloud after Indian government cancelled the cricket team's tour to the strife torn nation.
There was popular sentiment among citizens and former players that since Indian government refused to send their cricket team, Pakistani teams should also scrap their India tours in a retaliatory move.
The Times of India
Pakistan blocks national teams' Indian tour
KARACHI: Pakistan Friday blocked its hockey and squash teams' tour of India because of the tense relations between the two countries, with Sports Minister Aftab Shah Jilani saying the authorities were concerned about the players' security in India in the current circumstances.
'We sought advice from the foreign ministry and took the decsion that it's not advisable to send the teams to India over security fears,' Jilani told reporters here.
Pakistan's hockey team was scheduled to feature in a four-nation tournament at Chandigarh Jan 31-Feb 8 alongside Germany, Holland and hosts India.
The national squash team was readying for the Asian Junior Squash Championships at Chennai Jan 16-23.
The Pakiastani government decision was not surprising, considering the fact that India cancelled its cricket team's tour of Pakistan last month following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. After that decision, Pakistan was expected to retaliate by refusing to let its sportsmen travel to India.
The minister stressed that sporting ties between the countries could be revived if the situation improved.
'Once we have normalcy in the situation, we can review of our participation in sporting events in India,' Jilani said.
In 2001 too, Pakistan and India broke off sporting ties in the wake of the terror attack on the Indian parliament. India lifted the ban in October 2003, paving way for its cricket team's visit to Pakistan a year later.
New Indian Express
Pak hockey team not to travel to India
Afzal Khan, Tribune News Service
Islamabad, January 2 - The Pakistan government has barred the Pakistan hockey team from touring India for participating in the four-nation tournament, Federal sports minister Pir Aftab Shah announced here Friday.
The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has been intimated about this decision.
Meanwhile, the PHF said that it would honour every government decision in this regard.
The tournament was scheduled to be held during the next month.
The Pakistani decision comes against the backdrop of cancellation of earlier sport exchanges by India including tours of its hockey team and the cricket tour amid tensions in the wake of Mumbai attacks of November 26.
The Tribune
Pakistan pull out of India hockey tour a bit too late
By Khalid Hussain
KARACHI: National sports authorities on Friday announced that they have decided to block Pakistan hockey team’s visit of India to play in a four-nation tournament there.
But their decision has perhaps come a little too late.
Because India had already decided a couple of days back to replace Pakistan with New Zealand in the quadrangular double-header to be played from January 31 to February 9 in Chandigarh and Jalandhar.
India had made their plans over seeking Pakistan’s replacement for the four-nation event weeks ago but the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) was either unaware of it or simply decided to ignore news that has been coming from across the border over the last several days.
They kept on saying that the concerned authorities will decide the fate of the Indian tour though it was apparent that the ad-hoc committee of the Indian Hockey Federation had lost interest in Pakistan soon after the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.
Media reports coming from India had suggested that the country’s hockey officials were looking for a team that could replace Pakistan in the quadrangular event that will be featuring world and Olympic champions Germany, Holland and hosts India. They had approached several teams including the 2004 Athens Games champions Australia. In the end it was New Zealand, who accepted the Indian invitation.
The decision to drop Pakistan and replace them with New Zealand was taken by the Indian hockey officials earlier this week. But so uniformed were the PHF officials that even on Friday morning, the federation’s president Qasim Zia had said that the PHF is awaiting government’s clearance for the tour of India.
Such a naive behaviour doesn’t augur well for the PHF top brass that has been making tall claims about reviving the glory days of Pakistan hockey.
One cannot blame Qasim Zia for being ignorant about the situation as he is a full-time politician who is just heading the PHF because of his love for hockey and the fact that he is a former Olympian.
But one cannot ignore the fact that the PHF currently has a team of paid officials including its secretary Asif Bajwa, who has been occupying the key PHF post since last July. Bajwa, also a former Olympian, has been globe-trotting for the last several months and claims to be in constant touch with Indian hockey officials as he has been meeting them in places like Los Angeles and Kuala Lumpur. It was his duty to be fully informed about what was going on regarding the four-nation tournament.
Had he been aware of India’s plans to axe from Pakistan the quadrangular, Pakistani sports authorities would have pulled out of the event a long time ago and our sports authorities wouldn’t have looked this foolish.
Because Pakistan’s decision to pull out of the Indian event was only announced Friday afternoon after a foreign news agency released the news that New Zealand have been included in the tournament as Pakistan’s replacement.
The double-header in India was supposed to serve as a launch pad for Pakistan’s Asia Cup preparations. Pakistan have to win the Asia Cup — to be played in May in Dubai — to directly qualify for the 2010 World Cup. But so far their Asia Cup plans seem to be in disarray as the PHF is yet to even put the national team management in place.
It has also failed to line up a training programme for what is easily the national team’s most important assignment this year.
The News International
Pakistan pulls out of four-nation hockey cup
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government denied permission on Friday for its hockey team to play in a four-nation tournament in India next month due to security concerns.
Pakistan was due to compete with Germany, the Netherlands and India from January 31 to February 9 in the Indian city of Chandigarh.
‘We feel it will not be safe for our players to play in India and that’s why we have not given permission to Pakistan Hockey Federation to compete in a four-nation tournament,’ sports minister Aftab Jilani told The Associated Press. ‘The time is not right to allow our hockey team players to go to India.’
‘When the situation normalises between the two countries only then we can see whether to send our sports teams to India or not,’ Jilani said.
The minister said that he had consulted Friday with PHF officials, including Pakistan President Qasim Zia and secretary Asif Bajwa before deciding against sending the hockey team to India.
‘We held a meeting today with all the top officials of PHF before reaching the decision,’ Jilani said.
India has blamed the attacks on elements in Pakistan, heightening tensions between the two countries, and New Delhi last month refused its cricketers permission to play a scheduled Test series across the border.
‘We accept the decision and are bound by it. We hope that once relations are normalised, we will see a revival of Indo-Pak hockey, which is a major attraction,’ Pakistan Hockey Federation secretary Asif Bajwa told AFP.
Meanwhile, New Zealand has accepted India’s invitation to replace Pakistan for the tournament, according to media reports.
The tournament will also feature reigning world and Olympic champions Germany and fourth-ranked Netherlands.
‘We were keen on getting a good replacement for Pakistan, and New Zealand will make the competition even tougher,’ tournament organiser Pargat Singh, a former India captain, told the Times of India newspaper.
The report came as Pakistan confirmed it would not take part, saying the government had refused to clear the team to go to India following the deadly Mumbai attacks in November.
The hockey tournament gives India a chance to test its mettle against three top teams as the eight-time Olympic champions rebuild after failing to qualify for the Beijing Games last August.
Germany won the gold in Beijing with a 1-0 win over Spain in the final, while the formidable Dutch finished fourth after losing to Australia in the bronze medal play-off.
New Zealand claimed seventh place at the Olympics with a 4-2 win over Pakistan in the classification round.
The next major world event for Germany and the Netherlands is the Champions Trophy in Melbourne in November. India and New Zealand did not qualify for the elite six-nation tournament.
India are scheduled to tour New Zealand for a four-match series in February and take part in the Asia Cup in Dubai in May.
Dawn
PHF keen to send national team to India
KARACHI: Pakistan Hockey Federation today said although it's keen to send the national team to India for a four-nation tournament later this month, a final decision on the tour would be taken by the Foreign Ministry. PHF President Qasim Zia today met sports ministry officials in Islamabad before announcing that the government and foreign office would take a final decision on sending the hockey team to India.
"We want to send our team to India because we feel it can help reduce the tensions between the two countries," Zia, an elected member of the ruling Pakistan People Party, said. "We personally feel that sporting ties need to continue between Pakistan and India but the matter is in the hands of the government and foreign office," he added.
Pakistan is among three nations India invited to play in a double league invitational tournament in Jallandhar and Chandigarh in January. Following the Mumbai terror attacks, the organisers reportedly are not very keen to host the Pakistan team and have apparently already made some alternate arrangements.
Zia, however, expressed his ignorance of any such move. "So far we have heard nothing of this sort from them," he said.
Sports Minister Aftab Shah Jillani said today's meeting was held to finalise a summary to be sent to the government. "There is a feeling that the security of our players might be of concern if they go to India now," he said.
A"We don't want to mix politics and sports but the Indians set the wrong example by cancelling their cricket team's tour to Pakistan. So we have to be careful while deciding on a policy of having sporting ties with India," he said.
New Indian Express
ERSA posts win
Special Correspondent
KOLKATA: Eastern Railway Sports Association defeated Mumbai XI 5-3 via tiebreaker while East Coast Railways outplayed Calcutta Customs 5-3 in the pre-quarterfinals of the all-India Beighton Cup hockey tournament at the SAI ground here on Friday.
Trailing for major part through Mumbai XI’s A.B. Cheeyanna’s 37th minute field goal, the local outfit hit back via M. Riyazuddin in the 66th.
With the regulation time not producing the matchwinner, the teams went into tiebreaker in which Pramod Dhir, Seveyan Jojo, Paulush Soy and Azam Ali scored for the Railway side while Bruno Lugun and Jayantha Meetei were successful for the visiting team. East Coast Railways thoroughly outplayed Customs with goals coming from Amardeep Ekka (7th and 39th), Amjad Khan (13th), L. Kumar (17th and 31st). For the losing side H.P. Singh (34th) and Birendra Sharma (46th) scored.
By virtue of this victory, EC Railway was placed in the pool A quarterfinal league along with Punjab and Sind Bank, Punjab Police and Tamil Nadu XI. ERSA joined Indian Oil, Punjab Sports Club and CESC in pool B quarterfinal league. Quarterfinal league matches will be played from Saturday.
The Hindu
Move over hockey, says Pataudi
NEW DELHI: Move over hockey, it is time to make cricket India's national game given the national team's performance, former India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi has suggested.
"It's time that we make it (cricket) our national game and take that away from hockey," Pataudi said.
Pataudi said the current team led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the best that the country has produced in a long time with all the players in peak form.
"There is no doubt in my mind that this is probably the best team India has produced in a long time especially in home conditions," Pataudi said.
"We never had two opening batsmen. The middle-order is clicking. Zaheer (Khan) is back in form, Harbhajan (Singh) is disciplined, Yuvraj (Singh) is focussed and Ishant (Sharma) is a good bowler," he added.
Dhoni's men -- along with South Africa -- are in the reckoning to replace a struggling Australia as the top Test side and Pataudi said the numero uno spot can be India's if it plays intense and consistent cricket.
"I was a bit disappointed with how India played in Mohali (during the Test series against England). If you have to be world champions, you have to play like world champions. Of course you can say it was a four-day match but Test matches have been won in four days. I think we let the Britishers off at Mohali."
"I think we should have put more pressure on them. Because if you want to be a world champion side, you have to keep putting pressure on the rival teams," Pataudi said.
Pataudi lauded the BCCI for taking the game to the grassroots level.
"I think the system has improved. Obviously it is not as we want it to be but the board (BCCI) is making a conscious effort to provide facilities. We are finding players from Ranchi and from Najafgarh. We have only one batsman from Mumbai and that is Sachin Tendulkar," he pointed out.
The Times of India
Pataudi Pariwar’s treachery of hockey continues
K.Arumugam
Pataudi Pariwar’s treachery of hockey continues unabated even today
If a person is selected to represent the country, that too, giving the honour of not even undergoing selection trails while others are sweating it out for the same, the person who is so honoured should be grateful. But it was not in the case of Pataudi Sr.
Pataudi Sr. who was studying in Oxford University in London, was selected for the 1928 Olympic hockey team. He did not undergo any trials even as others were put in the hard grind in the Provincial Hockey Tournament in Kolkatta. Teams from Lahore, Delhi Central Province, Bengal had to show their mettle to get into the India’s first Olympic hockey team. Even Dhyan Chand had to undergo trials at that point of time.
But what happened alter? Pataudi Sr. did not even bother to go to Amsterdam, mere two-hours boat drive away from where he was stationed then. What was the reason this gentle man did not go? Research points to the fact that this Nawab (prince) did not like an ordinary citizen (Jaipal Singh) given the captaincy mantle. Not only that. This Nawab did so much politicking that the dejected Jaipal Singh, who also taken in the team straight from Oxford, had to return midway through the Olympics.
What his father did to hockey was not enough, his son, which every Indian loves because of his cricketing exploits, continues the treachery trait.
Recently, he articulated Hockey Should be removed from National Game and the only game he seems to know (other than showpiece polo), cricket, should be put in that spot.
The point here is, National Games are not made every drop of a hat. What hockey achieved and why it has become our national sport despite the treachery of people like his father, can never be reversed, under-estimate or repeated.
They all luxuriate in all glory of our past national wealth, and never contribute to present day sports.
Only thing I came across Pataudi Jr.'s name was when he was arrested by police in Haryana a couple of years ago for poaching endangered animals. He was put behind the bar and was later released. The case is going on still.
Now he is targeting another endangered species, hockey. It is time let us all save our endangered species from such historical poachers.
It is not by the likes of Princes and Kings – they only luxuriated and sub-served the British, who made hockey our national game. It is humble persons like Dhyan Chand, Roop Singh, Gurmit Singh, they all made country proud by excelling in hockey. They only proved India can do, and defeat Hitler’s hockey team 8-1 in the final.
As long British was ruling us, they ran away from the Olympics not to lose to a colonial country.
That’s why -- and because of many other similar reasons, hockey is our national, essentially for the achievement in the pre-Independent India when the likes of Pataudi Sr.s were undermining and subverting hockey for personal ego and prejudices.
Now poachers of different kind have almost made many of our forests tiger-free. Can we then afford to call Tiger is snot our national animal.
Isn't quite ironical that this large-mouthed Pataudi is called Tiger?
Soon we will have only Tigers of this nature, who are accused of poaching deers, not the real ones.
Stick2Hockey.com
'Hockey must stay national game'
NEW DELHI: Does cricket's recent success deserve the 'national game' tag? Conversely, should the tag be taken away from hockey because the sport has been in terminal decline?
Former Indian cricket team skipper MAK Pataudi's assertion that it is time the government took away hockey's pre-eminent status has found few takers among even the cricket fraternity, not to mention ex-hockey stars and the sports ministry.
The verdict is a unanimous 'no'. Hockey should remain our national game, but the government should provide the sport fresh financial impetus, other than a clean administration. That doesn't take away from the fact, however, that cricket remains the most 'popular' sport.
"It's time that we make cricket our national game and take that away from hockey," Pataudi told a TV channel on Thursday, echoing the sentiments of many who feel the most 'popular' and the most 'successful' sport deserves the 'national game' tag. "There is no doubt in my mind that this is probably the best team India has produced in a long time especially in home conditions," Pataudi, whose father Nawab of Pataudi Sr. was, ironically, also part of the hockey team in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics but did not get a chance to play, added referring to MS Dhoni's squad.
Interestingly, being the national game does not entail any legal standing or financial benefit for the sport. It's an informal, honourable tag bestowed by the government and hockey is also not among the official national symbols. I Sriniwas, joint secretary in the sports ministry, clarified, "The national game tag is more of a tradition. Both cricket and hockey are quite popular games. You can still see a lot of frenzy when India play Pakistan in hockey, quite similar to the ones associated with cricket. Popularity certainly is not an issue, may be performance is."
Among cricketers, former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi and ex-Test player Anshuman Gaekwad have offered cogent arguments opposing Pataudi's view. "There is no debate here, everyone knows which is the more popular sport now," Bedi told TOI, "but we are not talking about current popularity. Indian hockey dominated the world for so many years that in a historical context it deserves the 'national game' tag. India are not yet the world's best cricket team. They have never dominated as hockey once did. There is no need to change the tag. But yes, urgent steps should be taken to revive hockey. There is no need to devalue a glorious sport by taking the tag away."
Ashok Kumar, former India hockey captain and legend Dhyan Chand's son, was furious at Pataudi's assertions. "This is rubbish," he said, "How can one talk about removing hockey's 'national game' status? It's an honour bestowed on the basis of performance over the years. I don't think any other sport in India has produced results at the highest level like hockey. A slump in performance does not mean you make some other sport the national game. If basketball or any other team does well, will it then be made the national game?"
Indian hockey's golden period was from 1928-56, when they won six successive Olympic gold medals. They also won the 1975 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur besides two more medals (a silver and a bronze) in previous editions. The last Olympic gold, however, came in 1980, and the team failed to qualify for the Beijing Games last August. "The fact is hockey still remains our best bet for an Olympic gold in a team sport," said Gaekwad, "Cricket needs to raise its performance, especially away from home. Under the circumstances cricket needs to achieve much more to deserve the 'national game' tag. The government should look into hockey urgently."
The Times of India
Jude Felix's Academy to train boys from orphanage
BANGALORE: Jude Felix's transition from an outstanding central midfielder to a coach will be complete when he launches a hockey academy for an orphanage.
Felix, whose transformation from a dashing inside right to a cerebral centre half was seen as a natural progression for a player so gifted, will impart the same knowledge that he imbibed over the years as a player, captain and later as a coach with his club in Singapore.
The 43-year-old veteran will tutor 60 boys from the St Mary's orphanage in D'Costa Layout - 20 each in the age groups of eight, 10 and 12 - in a long-term plan that will see them emerge as players of quality by the time they are 17.
While children in the first two age categories will be expected to graduate to the older age groups, the 12-year-olds will be part of a five-year programme designed to develop their personality.
"It will be a holistic approach that will make them good hockey players and good human beings. We want them to be competitive enough to make it to sports hostels, state teams and the national team, which, of course, is our ultimate goal," Jude said.
A concept fuelled by Fr John Anthony, who runs the St Mary's orphanage, and sponsored by Lions Club, the Jude Felix Hockey Academy will be inaugurated on Saturday with an exhibition match that will feature former cricket captain Rahul Dravid, Olympians MP Ganesh, Dhanraj Pillay and Anil Aldrin. Others who have been invited include former India international Tony J Fernandes, who made the first of the monetary contributions, Olympic athlete Eric Prabhakar and Devaraj, the founder of the Royal Hockey Club where Jude played a couple of decades ago.
"I have always wanted to work with the underprivileged. But once I met Fr Anthony the idea of coaching the children in the orphanage evolved. Fr Anthony was firm that he wanted the kids to take up hockey, although there were suggestions that he could set up an academy in cricket," said Jude.
The Times of India
Hockey academy for under-privileged kids
Principal Correspondent
Bangalore: In a rare blend of sport and philanthropy, former Indian hockey captain Jude Felix announced the launch of an academy that will help under-privileged children.
After its formal inauguration on Saturday, the Jude Felix Hockey Academy in association with the St. Mary’s Orphanage in Cooke Town, will help 60 children pick up the rudiments of India’s national sport.
“It has been a long-time dream to help under-privileged and now is the time for it. There are 182 children at the orphanage and we plan to train children in three age-groups of 8, 10 and 12 in batches of twenty each. “There will be four coaches and I will monitor the progress closely,” said Jude at a press conference here on Friday.
Jude said that the academy is still searching for funds. “I am grateful to the Lions Club officials who speeded up my dreams and helped me in setting up this academy and they have promised that they will help raise the funds and I hope corporates will chip in.
“I also thank priest Fr. John Anthony for all his support and for backing hockey. Our academy has got affiliation from the Karnataka State Hockey Association and in the future I hope that players from this academy go on to play for the state and country,” Jude said.
Meanwhile the Lions Club officials reiterated their commitment to the academy which will swing into action on Saturday evening with a friendly hockey match in which many former International players will participate.
Former India cricket captain Rahul Dravid is also expected to play the match.
Former India hockey captain Dhanraj Pillay and Tony Fernandes, who has instituted a scholarship in his name for the academy, will be the guests of honour during the inauguration while Fr. John Anthony will be the chief guest.
“We now have a decent play field but gradually we are dreaming about having an astro-turf,” said Jude.
The Hindu
150 players appear for hockey trials in Faisalabad
Staff Report
LAHORE: The trials to select players for the PHF Academy Faisalabad were held at the Faisalabad Hockey Stadium on Friday. In all 150 under-14, under-15 and under-16 players appeared in the trials. “Punjab Hockey Association (PHA) general secretary and member national selection committee Rana Mujahid Ali has initially selected 48 talented players for the Faisalabad Academy,” a spokesman for the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) told reporters.
The trials were also witnessed by the PHA selection committee – Anjum Saeed (chairman), Shabir Ahmad, Akhlaq Ahmad, Gulraiz Sheikh and Khalid Rasool (members) – and coaches of Faisalabad Academy – Shahzad Chishty, Rana Khalid Iqbal and Almas Siddiqui.
The trials in Gojra will be held on Saturday (today) at 10:00 am. The trials will be conducted by PHA selection committee along with Gojra coaches Mohammad Aslam Roda, Khawar Javed and Muhammad Arshad. The trials in Karachi will be held at the UBL Sports Complex at 10:00 am on Saturday (today). The Sindh selection committee – Waseem Feroze (chairman), Mumtaz Haider and Mohammad Khalid (members) – along with Karachi coaches Saleem Sherwani, Jan Muhammad and Muhammad Ali will observe the trials. The trials in Banu will also be held on Saturday (today) at 10:00 am. The NWFP selection committee – Naeem Akhtar (chairman), Zia Banori, Rahim Khan and Musaddiq Khan – along with Banu coaches Anwar Rasheed, Shafqat Ullah and Nazir Gul will observe the trials.
The Daily Times