alt
July 28 - Indian hockey officials unhappy with how their sport is being administered by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) are seeking urgent talks with Jacques Rogge, the President of the International Olympic Committee.

 

 

They claim that the IOA acted undemocratically by disbanding national and regional bodies to form Hockey India.

 

 

J.B. Roy, of the Bengal Hockey Association,and Armit Bose, secretary of the Indian Hockey Women's Association, met Leandro Negre, the President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) today to put their case.

 

Negre assured them that a national body would be in place by November after a "democratic" election to run the hockey affairs in the country, Roy claimed.

 

But Roy continues to maintain what the IOA has done is illegal and now wants to seek the intervention of Rogge.

 

He said: "It was pointed out to him [Negre] that the IOA was interfering in the democratic process by announcing a three-member committee to form the state bodies and instructing these bodies not to admit anybody without the permission of its favorites, Lalit Bhanot and Harish Sharma."

 

The IOA announced the formation of a unified body last month after the FIH threatened to take the World Cup away from New Delhi if the country did not have a single national association governing both the men's and women's game.

 

Critics remain unhappy that the IOA only recognise only the units selected and approved by a special committee set up them.

 

Roy had led 28 state units of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) in asking the IOA to hold elections for restoring the administration to hockey officials.

 

The IOA has been governing men's field hockey for one year through an administrative panel, after suspending the IHF in the wake of bribery accusations against a top official.