Page 3 - Hockey India

It was becoming suffocating: Hockey India CEO Elena Norman on resignation

Outgoing Hockey India CEO Elena Norman on Tuesday said the work environment in HI was "suffocating" and she had no choice but to call it quits. After holding the position for 13 years, Norman resigned and even though HI did not reveal the specific reasons for her decision in its official statement, the Australian spoke out on what pushed her to exit. "Absolutely, it was getting tough to deliver in the fight between two factions. The environment was becoming suffocating," Norman told PTI in an interview. "There are two factions in Hockey India. There is (President) Dilip Tirkey and I and there is (Secretary) Bholanath Singh, (Executive Director) Cdr. R K Srivastava and (Treasurer) Sekar J Manoharan," she said. "There are guys who want power and then there is (HI President) Dilip (Tirkey) who is a nice guy, only after betterment of Indian hockey," the 49-year-old explained. What aggravated the entire situation was the non-payment of her remuneration for three months. "There were so

Indian men's junior hockey team to work on weak areas at national camp

Indian hockey colts will return to the national camp in Bengaluru to improve upon the weak areas they identified during their bronze medal-winning performance at the Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia and come back stronger in the World Cup next month. India had topped their group to make it to the semifinals but lost to Germany in their final-four game before defeating arch-rivals Pakistan in the third-place playoff to settle for a bronze medal in Johor Bahru. The World Cup will be played in Kuala Lumpur from December 5. Team coach CR Kumar said while he wouldn't call it a great outing in Johor Bahru, but key areas of improvement in the team have been identified. "I wouldn't call it satisfying because there are some things we could have done better," Kumar said in a statement. India faced several top teams such as Germany, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Pakistan in the tournament. "We will use the weeks leading up to the junior World Cup to improve and sharpen the areas we identified d

Hockey India to give Rs 5 lakh to each player after Asian Games triumph

The Indian men's hockey team dethroned 2018 gold medallist Japan on Friday, claiming their fourth hockey gold in the Asian Games

Asian Games 2023: Women's hockey team loses to China 0-4 in semifinal

Favourites India endured a forgettable 0-4 drubbing at the hands of China in the women's hockey semifinals, a result that not only pushed the team out of the gold medal race but also denied it a direct entry to the Paris Olympics. Last edition's silver medallist India, the highest-ranked team in the tournament at world number seven, was no match to world number China, who were the bronze medallist in 2018 in Jakarta. Jiaqi Zhong (25th minute), Meirong Zou (40th), Meiyu Liang (55th) and Bingfeng Gu (60th) scored the goals for China. China started on an attacking note put pressure on the Indian defence from the start. The Chinese managed to enter their opponent's circle on frequent basis but failed to find the back of the net as the Indians defended stoutly. China's relentless pressure resulted in back-to-back penalty corners in the sixth minute but failed to get past India captain Savita in front of the goal. The Indians made a few circle entries but failed to yield any results f

Need to strengthen defence, have to be ready to switch tactics: Harmanpreet

Aware of the challenge that awaits India against Japan, men's hockey team skipper Harmanpreet Singh said they will need to strengthen their defence and be ready to switch tactics against the defending champions during their Asian Games clash on Thursday. India habe hardly been troubled so far, having won their first two games with big margins. India defeated Uzbekistan 16-0 in their opening Pool A game last week before mauling Singapore 16-1 in another lop-sided contest. However, India will perhaps face their toughest challenge yet in the competition when they take on the 2018 Asian Games gold medallists. "We are aware of the level of competition that we will face tomorrow. Japan have a strong unit and we are familiar with their strengths and weaknesses," said Harmanpreet Singh. "We have to focus on our own style of play, but we have to also be ready to switch tactics as and when needed on the field to get a good result." Japan too have been unbeaten in the Games, having beaten ..

Asiad 2023: India hockey teams' full schedule, squads, match timings

The Indian hockey team would be aiming for nothing less than a gold in both the men's and women's categories as a spot at the Paris Olympics is up for grabs

India beat Pakistan in thrilling shootout, win inaugural Hockey5s Asia Cup

India emerged champions in the Men's Hockey5s Asia Cup here on Saturday, beating arch-rivals Pakistan 2-0 in a shootout after both teams were locked at 4-4 in regulation time. With the win, India have booked their place in the FIH Men's Hockey5s World Cup 2024. For India, Mohammed Raheel (19th and 26th), Jugraj Singh (7th) and Maninder Singh (10th) were the goal scorers during the regulation time, whereas Gurjot Singh and Maninder Singh managed to beat the goalkeeper in the shootout. Pakistan, Abdul Rehman (5th), captain Abdul Rana (13th), Zikriya Hayat (14th) and Arshad Liaqat (19th) were on target for Pakistan. Indian keeper Suraj Karkera made some vital saves before Pakistan broke the deadlock via Rehman in the fifth minute. Jugraj Singh got the equalizer for India just a couple of minutes later. India took the lead with Maninder Singh's reverse hit from a distance. Nevertheless, Pakistan struck back quickly and restored their lead through skipper Abdul Rana (13th) and Zikriya

Asian Games 2023: Akashdeep, Karthi big miss outs in India's hockey squad

Veteran striker Akashdeep Singh and young Karthi Selvam have been dropped but experienced Lalit Upadhyay made a comeback to the 18-member Indian men's hockey team selected for the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Hockey India selectors dropped three players -- Akashdeep, Karthi and defender Jugraj Singh from the champion side of the Asian Champions Trophy held in Chennai earlier this month. Drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh and midfielder Hardik Singh will continue to don the roles of captain and vice-captain in the Asian Games. Jugraj has been replaced by Sanjay, while Lalit and Abhishek came in place of Akashdeep and Karthi. The team has two goalkeepers in veteran PR Sreejesh and Krishan Bahadur Pathak. Besides two goalkeepers, the Asian Games-bound team will have six defenders, five midfielders and as many forwards. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Savita Punia will lead the 18-member Indian women's hockey team in the Asian Games. Experienced Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Baljeet Kaur

Men's Asian Hockey WC Qualifier: India beats Oman 12-2, loses to Pak 4-5

India will next face off against Malaysia at 1430 hrs IST and Japan at 1930 hrs IST on Thursday, August 31

Asian Games: Rani Rampal not picked in probable list of women's hockey team

Just a couple of days after Hockey India appointed her as the coach of Indian U-17 women's team, former captain Rani Rampal found herself out of the 34-strong probables list for the Asian Games in Hangzhou, starting September 23. Rampal had on Thursday lashed out at the national head coach Janneke Schopman demanding an answer as to why she was being ignored despite her fair performances lately. While she accepted the HI offer to coach the junior side, she also was categorical about not retiring from competitive sport. "I am not retiring since I know I still have more to give to the sport as a player. I have this thing in me to not give up. If I had to, I'd have given up after the Olympics," Rampal had said during a HI event earlier this week. "We have showcased in our recent competitions that we are growing as a team and are constantly learning. The upcoming camp is an important one for us as we are spearheading our preparations for the Hangzhou Asian Games, which could be our road

Hockey ACT: Craig Fulton believes in training more than sideline coaching

India hockey team head coach Craig Fulton said following his team's semifinal win over Japan in the Asian Champions Trophy that he is not someone who likes giving instructions to players from the sidelines, but prefers imparting lessons during training. India thrashed Japan 5-0 in the last-four clash to set up a title showdown here with Malaysia on Saturday. Following the huge win, Fulton said, "I don't do a lot of coaching from the sidelines, but during training. That's where the ideas are installed. Maybe, there are a few things that have to change (during the match), but it's up to the senior players to take a call." India skipper Harmanpreet Singh, too, was all praise for Fulton for bringing in "structural changes" to the side. "Every coach has a different mentality. Our past coaches have been good. Even he (Fulton) is good. Every coach thinks about the betterment of the team," said Harmanpreet after the match on Friday. "He is doing a good job. While we have brought in struct

Asian Champions Trophy Hockey 2023: India vs South Korea, check details

India will face South Korea in the 12th match of Asian Champions Trophy Hockey 2023 today at 8.30 pm. Check when and where to watch the live streaming in India

Asian Champions Trophy Hockey 2023: IND back on top, defeats MAL by 5-0

India defeated Malaysia by 5-0 last night and reclaimed its top spot in the Asian Champions Trophy Hockey 2023 points table. India is to face South Korea in its fourth match on 7th August

India will win gold in 2028 LA Olympics if not Paris 2024: Bhola Nath Singh

Hockey India (HI) secretary general Bhola Nath Singh on Saturday claimed that India will definitely win gold at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics if they miss out on the yellow metal in Paris next year. He said the current HI brass under former India captain Dilip Tirkey is leaving no stone unturned to take Indian hockey to the top again. "I have big plans for hockey and you will see some new things being introduced. We will try our best to change HI during this time," Bhola Nath told PTI. "I want to assure you that if not the Paris Olympics, India will surely win a gold medal in the Los Angeles Olympics. If they don't, you can come back to me." To help Indian hockey recapture its past glory, Bhola Nath said HI is working on creating a bigger talent pool. He said plans are in place to give the junior teams the best facilities as the senior side, coupled with enough international exposure, which would again make India a major hockey powerhouse. "As far as the junior teams are concerne

Asian Champions Trophy Hockey 2023: India to face China today at 8.30 pm

India is ready to face China in its first Asian Champions Trophy 2023 to be played today, August 3, at 8.30 pm IST. The match will be played at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Hockey Champions Trophy today's matches: IND vs CHN, KOR vs JAP, MAL vs PAK

India vs China game will kick-start at 8:30 PM IST. The Live telecast of IND vs CHN match will be available on Star Sports First and Star Sports Select 2 HD

Hockey India president says Indian team will travel to Pakistan if needed

Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey has said that the national men's team will travel to Pakistan for qualifiers in case it fails to directly qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics by winning gold at the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games, starting September 23. The team winning the continental event gold shall receive direct berth in the quadrennial extravaganza as per rule but other nations need to play the qualifiers and this time venues identified are Pakistan and Spain. "We will be trying to get the job done in Hangzhou. But, if for some reason, we fail to qualify, then there are a couple of venues that have been identified for the qualifiers - Pakistan and Spain. So, wherever it happens, we will definitely go," he said during a media interaction on the eve of the tournament on Wednesday. Travelling to Pakistan requires government clearance and it is there to be seen what will be the centre's stance in case situation demands that national hockey team is needed to travel to Pakistan to

Hockey Asian Champions Trophy: Why are coaches complaining about schedule?

Visiting teams, Malaysia and Korea did not like the timing of the tournament. It has been scheduled only five weeks ahead of the all-important Asian Games which has an Olympic berth at stake

Indian women beat Spain 3-0 to win Spanish Federation hockey tournament

The Indian women's hockey team produced a dominant performance to comfortably beat hosts Spain 3-0 and win the 100th Anniversary Spanish Hockey Federation - International Tournament here on Sunday. Vandana Katariya (22nd minute), Monika (48th) and Udita (58th) were the goal scorers as India remained unbeaten in the tournament. Riding on the success of Saturday's match against England, where Lalremsiami's hattrick helped them win 3-0, table toppers India got off to strong start in the first quarter. The Indians started cautiously and maintained a disciplined structure with short, accurate passes that allowed them to create space in the circle. But goals eluded the visitors in the first quarter. Spain created some fine opportunities in the last five minutes of the first quarter but India captain and goalkeeper Savita kept the opponents at bay by producing some fine saves. India started the second quarter in a dominant fashion, showing clear intent to take the lead. They built on a

Hockey: Harmanpreet scores as Indian men's team holds England to 1-1 draw

The Indian men's hockey team came up with a spirited performance to hold England 1-1 in their third match at the ongoing 100th Anniversary Spanish Hockey Federation - International Tournament here on Friday. While Sam Ward scored an early goal for England in the fifth minute, India bounced back to level the scores in the 29th minute through Harmanpreet Singh. The draw meant India are out of contention for the final on Sunday. After losing to the hosts and drawing with the Netherlands in their previous matches, India were looking for an elusive win and a spot in the final. Despite their positive body language on the field, it was the Brits who got off to a good start, with Ward scoring a stunning field goal. A tumbling James Oates crossed the ball from the right flank towards the goalpost, which Ward deflected into the post, giving England the lead. Pawan, who was filling in for PR Sreejesh and Krishan Bahadur Pathak in the goalpost, could do little to defend. Despite the early .