Champions Challenge trophy given the green signal

By Our Sports Reporter

NEW DELHI, MAY 14. The Union Sports Ministry on Monday gave the go-ahead to the Champions Challenge Trophy hockey tournament after the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) mellowed its stand on having the National Stadium floodlighted for the event.

The IHF apparently accepted the ground realities regarding the floodlighting of the stadium after the Sports Ministry indicated that it might not be able to host the tournament at all.

``Since there is a question mark on whether lights will be installed at the stadium... we have decided to conduct the tournament in daylight,'' the IHF President, Mr. K.P.S. Gill said after a meeting with the Union Sports Minister, Ms. Uma Bharti. Mr. Gill said that since the event was scheduled for December, the weather would be good to hold matches in during daytime.

The eight-nation tournament is scheduled from December 7 to 16 with India, Malaysia, Spain, Poland, Argentina, Canada, Japan and South Africa as participating countries.

The IHF had already indicated to the International Hockey Federation (FIH), at the Brussels meeting in March, that floodlights at the National Stadium might not be available.

The FIH had insisted that the stadium should have two turfs and the floodlights for international tournaments to be held there. The event was allotted to New Delhi after an assurance that all the FIH conditions would be met.

In the meantime, the IHF saw a slight ray of hope when the Sports Secretary, Mr. N.N. Khanna, informed the meeting that the Central Vista Committee had cleared the floodlighting proposal. Now the proposal would be referred to the Urban Arts Commission for its clearance.

Ms. Bharti had sought a meeting with Mr. Gill after the IHF President missed the May 10 meeting of the sports federations with the Sports Ministry. The IHF had come under flak after its Secretary, Mr. K. Jothikumaran, struggled to explain the federation's failure to get Pakistan and South Korea for the Afro-Asian Games. The two Asian teams would be playing in the Champions Trophy in Lahore during the same period.

Mr. Gill said once the floodlights were installed and the two turfs put in place at the National Stadium, New Delhi would be able to bid for important international tournaments.

Asked whether the issue of the non-participation of Pakistan and South Korea came up at the meeting, Mr. Gill said it was discussed. ``The whole issue was gone through. We tried our best to get the teams without success.''

Pakistan was hosting the SAF Games in October followed by the Champions Trophy and then the holy month of Ramzan came in November. This made it impossible to change the dates of the Champions Trophy, Mr. Gill explained.

The meeting also decided to give priority to install floodlights at other hockey centres in the country. Bhopal, Chennai and Jalandhar were identified as the three venues marked for floodlighting to give further impetus to the game.

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