Talks on with Punjab govt to hold international hockey tourney in state: Hockey India chief

“Yes, we all understand that several players of the Tokyo Olympics and the Paris Olympics winning Indian hockey team belong to Punjab. We are still in talks with the Punjab government about hosting an international tournament in collaboration with the Fédération Internationale de Hockey (FIH) and other bodies. Like our main sponsors, the Odisha government, apart from other states like Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu, which hosted international tournaments, I think Punjab’s role as a host is also important in terms of encouraging sports in the country. I believe Punjab should host an international tournament to encourage young talents,” Tirkey, who was in Chandigarh for a function, told The Indian Express earlier this week.

While the Indian men’s hockey team had suffered seven losses and a solitary win in the Pro Hockey League this season, the Harmanpreet Singh-led Indian hockey team has departed for Australia to play in a four-match series from August 15 to 21 before playing the Hero Asia Cup in Rajgir, Bihar, from August 29. With the Asia Cup being one of the qualifiers for the next year’s Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium, Tirkey sees the Pro Hockey league losses as something to reflect.

“Well, the Pro Hockey league too has become an important league on the world level, and all top teams aim to give their best. I believe the Indian men’s hockey team did not give the performance that was expected. I believe it was due to changes in player positions and some other changes, and the players, as well as coach Craig Fulton and other stakeholders, will reflect on that,” shared Tirkey.

The former Indian hockey captain also talked about the need for finding more domestic professional coaches at various age levels in India, and he finds it as one of the main challenges. While the Indian men’s and women’s team has several foreign coaches in various roles, Tirkey insisted on the need to develop more Indian coaches to benefit the domestic scene and improve the domestic hockey structure. “One of the challenges which we face is the lack of domestic professional coaches. We have been talking to various stakeholders, and recently, we have also seen players like former Indian goal-keeper Baljit Dadhwal having a goalkeeping coaching stint with the senior and junior women’s hockey teams. I am ensuring that more such players are developed into specialist coaches,’ said Tirkey.

Asked about the target of winning a medal again in the LA Olympics for the Indian hockey team, the former Indian captain shared that the Asian Games and World Cup next year are the main targets prior to the LA Olympics in 2028. “Right now our main target is next year’s Asian Games and Hockey World Cup, and both these events are very important ahead of the LA Olympics in 2028,” added Tirkey.