Hockey players, who added a new feather to India's crown by winning the Asian Champions Trophy in China, refused to accept the "too little" prize money - Rs 25,000. During their felicitation in Delhi, the players refused the prize money offered by Hockey India claiming that the incentive is "too little to fetch even a decent playing kit". The players led by Captain Rajpal Singh turned down the prize money which created a new controversy in the country.
© Sujata Khanna. All rights reserved.
Source: news.oneindia.in, Setember 14, 2010
The year was 2007. Cheerleaders danced to the beats of a Bollywood song as India was about to script a nail-biting finish against Pakistan in the cricket T20 World Cup final. With tricolor flags in hand, almost every Indian spectator was gripped with the spirit of patriotism. And all this while, little did cricket fans realize that intensity was coming from the song ‘Chak De India’, filmed on Hockey, a sport very different in its administration, handling and following.
Hockey is the national sport of India. It is a sport that made the nation proud, having the most successful hockey team in Olympic history with 8 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals. It is also a sport that went on to witness one of its most unfortunate days when India failed to make the cut at the 2008 Olympics for the first time in 80 years. It is a sport that shook the collective conscience of an entire country as one controversy after another surrounded its administrators. And it is also a sport whose achievers are today languishing in poverty.
There are many reasons for the failure of Indian Hockey on International stage for the past few years. There are few sponsors who want to invest in hockey. Sub-standard facilities for the players, bad conditions of fields, and poor infra-structure are other features. Will this sport be reduced to just a forgotten game?
© Sujata Khanna. All rights reserved.
