Indian Hockey Teams are Unlikely To Compete In Birmingham Common Games – IOA Chief

The Indian hockey teams are unlikely to participate in Commonwealth Games to be held in Birmingham next year IOA Chief Narinder Batra said on Friday.

The Indian hockey teams want to ensure a hit peak form during the Asian Games for which they have qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics said Indian Olympic Association President Narinder Batra. He further added that he has conveyed the decision to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Director General Sandip Pradhan during a formal meeting. The Indian hockey teams’ priority is to achieve their peak at the Asian Games, which starts just 35 days after the CWG. Batra is the chief of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and was a former Hockey India president.

The Birmingham Commonwealth Games Will be held from July 28 to August 8 and the Asian Games will be held in China from September 10 to 15. Based on my preliminary discussions with Hockey India, it seems doubtful as of now whether Indian men and women hockey teams will participate in Commonwealth Games 2022 added Batra. This short span of difference between the two schedules may hamper the performance of the team. Hence they have decided to skip one event.

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He further added that Hockey India will not like its hockey athletes to peak 35 days before the Asian Games 2022 and would like the athletes to peak at the right time i.e. during the Asian Games 2022. The Commonwealth Games in 2022 are just 35 days before the Asian Games in China and in hockey, the winners of the Asian Games directly qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Hence, winning the gold medal in the Asian Games is a must for both men & women’s hockey teams.

India had 216 members in the 2018 Gold Coast CWG, India stood at ranking with 66 medals, including 26 gold, 20 silver and 20 bronze medals.

But now when shooting and archery dropped from the Birmingham Games and now hockey teams likely to opt-out, the Indian contingent will be far smaller.