Hockey India will decide new practice schedule for men’s and women’s teams
New Delhi, 25 March(HS): Hockey India on Wednesday said that it would set a new practice schedule for both teams after the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, together with the coaches of the men’s and women’s hockey teams.
Hockey India President Mohammad Mushtaq Ahmed said, “We have informed the coaches of both teams about the postponement of Tokyo Olympics. “Certainly it is unfortunate but the whole world has been affected by this dangerous epidemic.
He said that the cancellation of the Olympics will not change our objective and we will continue to work with the Indian Olympic Association and the Sports Ministry to achieve success in the Olympics.
Japan and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday decided to postpone the Tokyo Olympics until 2021 after mutual consultation. The women and men teams are currently staying at the Sports Authority of India (Sai) campus in Bangalore where they were undergoing training. After discussions with Sai, a meeting will be held with the coaches of both teams in which a strategy will be chalked out for the practice and further schedule.
Both the teams of India qualified for the Olympics in November last year.
Graham Reid, coach of the Indian hockey men’s team, said, “It is very unfortunate that the Olympics will not be held in 2020, but given the current state of the world, it is an expected and understood decision.” I feel extremely bad for the players who have waited for this opportunity for four consecutive years. We are fortunate that Sai has created a safe environment for the team in which training can be done. Like other countries, our time has not deterred.
