Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur wearing India’s Tokyo 2020 shirt (Twitter)
Sports Minister Anurag Thakur stressed that Hockey India cannot take a unilateral decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games, adding that the national federation is bound to consult the government before taking any such step.
- PTI New Delhi
- Last Update:10 October 2021, 14:46 IST
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Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday hit out at Hockey India for unilaterally withdrawing from next year’s Commonwealth Games, saying the national federation is bound to consult the government before taking any such step. Thakur said that being the main financier of the Olympic Games in the country, the government has every right to decide on matters of national representation. “I think any federation should refrain from making such statements and discuss with the government first because it is not a federation’s team, but its national team,” he told reporters.
“In a country with 130 crore population, there are not just 18 players to represent the country. This (CWG) is a global event, I think they (Hockey India) should be associated with the government and the concerned department. The decision will be taken by the government. Thakur’s strong statement came after Hockey India pulled out of next year’s Birmingham Commonwealth Games on Tuesday, citing COVID-19 concerns and the UK’s discriminatory quarantine rules for travelers from the country. HI also argued that there is only a 32-day window available between the Birmingham Games (28 July-8 August) and the Hangzhou Asian Games (10-25 September), a direct qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Minister said that there is no dearth of hockey talent in the country and citing the example of cricket, said that playing back-to-back tournaments for professional players is not a new thing.
“There is no dearth of talent in hockey in India. If you look at cricket, IPL is going on and then there is the World Cup. If cricketers can play two tournaments one after the other, why not players from other sports. Thakur said, “I can understand that the priority is being given to the Asian Games and I am not going in it, I am just saying where the Indian team will play, it is not a lie with the federation, it is with the government.” is also.”
Meanwhile, Thakur said the meeting of the selection committee for this year’s National Sports Awards would be held in the next 10 days. “The selection committee will meet in the next 10 days where they will decide who will be awarded this year and after taking time from the President of India, the awards will be presented,” he said.
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