Champions Trophy diary

Volunteers, a cause for concern

Post News Post

Bhubaneswar, Dec 5: Any international tournament that happens across the length and breadth of India, there will always be over-zealous volunteers with their main target being journalists and photographers. The Champions Trophy starting Saturday in Bhubaneswar is also no exception. Volunteers wearing badges provided to them by Hockey India were frequently seen preventing the journalists from talking to players and coming in the way of photographers invariably pushing them away when they tried to take off-beat pictures. But this only happened in case of Indian journalists. The moment they saw a white-skinned media personnel they disappeared. In their efforts to please the authorities, they conveniently were forgetting the fact that there were quite a few media personnel who probably have covered more hockey matches than India captain Sardar Singh has played. The success of a tournament (more so if it is hockey and not cricket) depends a lot on the media and not solely on the ‘Ten Sports’ network. The quicker they realise that the better for the event.

Multi-city affair

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is considering to make the men’s World Cup 2018 a multi-city affair as the present infrastructure at the Kalinga Stadium here is not adequate to host 16 teams. “If the event will be staged here, there is a need to do much more on infrastructure. We are considering every option. We are also thinking to host the events in three-four cities,” FIH representative Kenneth Eric Read stated Friday here. “Apart from Bhubaneswar, we will have to consider Chennai and Delhi for organising the tournament. We have not made a final decision regarding it,” added Read.

More protection

In the wake of Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes’ death during a match FIH Friday allowed metal grill mask to protect onrushing defenders during penalty corner executions. “A wider range of masks, including metal grill masks, will now be allowed to defend penalty corners. This amendment has been done to increase player safety. This will be available for worldwide adoption at international level from January 2015,” the FIH said on its website.