By Paritosh Pramanik
IT WAS sort of a victory for Vidarbha Women’s Hockey Association (VWHA) when the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) granted them the permission to select girls’ team for the forthcoming junior national hockey championship scheduled at Pune from September 20.
This will be the first national championship conducted by IHF for both boys and girls after the men and women bodies merged into one single game-controlling unit.
There was a confusion in Vidarbha regarding selection of girls team for the nationals. Both Vidarbha Hockey Association (VHA) and VWHA claimed they were the sole authority to select the team.
VWHA will conduct selection trials for girls from September 16.
Talking to ‘The Hitavada’ IHF Joint Secretary Ashok Mathur said VWHA would be allowed to select and send the team until the merger process is completed.
“The merger process is still on in most of the states and units. Until it is not completed VWHA will continue to select and send team for the nationals,” said Mathur.
Mathur said the team selected by VWHA would be allowed to participate in the championship starting September 20.
Amrit Bose of IHF also said VWHA had all rights to select and send girls’ team for nationals.
“We have permitted Amod Sarin to select the team for the nationals. The merger process is still on and like other states where women’s associations are yet to get merged with the men’s, the erstwhile associations will continue to send their teams.
“We will be entertaining VWHA selected team in the forthcoming nationals,” said Bose from Delhi.
When brought to notice that VWHA was dissolved when a Nagpur District Unified Hockey Association was formed and got merged with Hockey Maharashtra to get affiliated with Hockey India as a district unit, Bose said, “I don’t want to talk about Hockey India. That is not a recognised body.
“They (VWHA) might have got merged with them but even after IHF and IWHF merger, we are entertaining all our old affiliated bodies.”
VHA can conduct eves’ meet: IHF
By Paritosh Pramanik
VIDARBHA Women’s Hockey Assocaition’s (VWHA) claim that they were the sole authority to conduct hockey tournaments in the region and the inter-school girls’ tournament organised by Vidarbha Hockey Association (VHA) was illegal did not get support from Indian Hockey Federation (IHF).
IHF joint secretary Ashok Mathur, while talking to this paper, said VHA has all rights to conduct the girls’ meet after merger of the men and women’s federations at the top level.
In a media statement, VWHA had threatened to take legal action against VHA if they organised the girls’ meet.
They had also threatened school authorities of “appropriate action” had they allowed their schools to participate in the meet. “Their players would not be considered for sub-junior and junior nationals championship,” the statement said.
VHA’s inter-school girls tournament is likely to start from September 16.
“VHA has all rights to conduct girls tournament. It won’t be termed illegal as the men and women’s body has merged at the top level and same is under process and the district and state level.
“I don’t think there is any harm in VHA conducting a tournament for girls,” said Mathur.
It is now to be seen whether VWHA would allow the girls to participate in the selection trials if they play VHA’s tournament or goes against IHF’s orders.
No comments:
Post a Comment