jayakris wrote:Anyway, I too was surprised why he, of all people, was picked for player of the year!!! .. I was more surprised that nobody here had asked why till PKB asked... So, what is the deal?
Jay
He has been V. S. Vinay till the IHF announced the probables for CT05. From then on, he has been Vinay as well as VINAYA. I heard the other day, one of the commentators saying his name is VINAYA. Will try to check it out in due course.
As for his selection as a candidate for `player of the year' award, yes, I too am surprised. I was also surprised the other day when he was chosen `man of the match' .
I was puzzled at that name change to Vinaya - I was pretty sure I had always heard VS Vinay before, and I too heard the commentators yesterday calling him Vinaya!
Has anyone posted the HT 4 part series on Indian Hockey? I am not sure if it is available in the online version. Today they featured 'Killing Fields IV' in the print edition, Mumbai.
I can see India failing to qualify for the Olympics. Although with Gill/ Kothikumran's efforts we may fail to qualify even if the Europeans didn't manipulate their
power/control on international hockey.
Shame on the respective Asian hockey Federations for allowing YET another 'flawed' ruling.
The IHF desperately needs someone like Dalmiya to come in and take on the Europeans. FIH has been steadily altering the rules of the game to deprive us of our natural advantage, and now they are even attempting to get away with cutting us (and other Asian nations) off from the major tournaments. Outrageous, and utterly sad that nobody is doing anything about these repeated travesties.
Have wondered ever since this debate was triggered in the Indian newspapers and on websites, what the fuss is all about.
India has three chances to qualify:
1) Win Asian Games or
2) Be in the top 8 in the FIH ranking at the end of World Cup 2006 (Sept 2006) (Not top 6 as is being made out) or
3) Win a qualifying tournament
This is exactly the chance Pakistan will have, Germany will have (they will have to win European nations championships, corresponding to Asian Games), The Netherlands will have, Spain will have or England will have.
So where is the bias?
If we say Germany and Spain have a better chance to figure in the top 8 (presuming that, let’s say, Holland wins the continental championship) than India, then so be it. They are better than us. Simple. Why are we cribbing about it?.
Remember, Europe will have 1) Germany, 2) Holland, 3) Spain, 4) England, 5) France, 6) Belgium, 7) Poland, 8) Russia while Asia will have 1) India, 2) Pakistan, 3) Korea, 4) Malaysia, 5) Japan, 6) Thailand, 7) Bangladesh or something close to that.
Which looks to be the tougher of the continents?
Wouldn’t it have been easier for the Europeans teams to qualify through the old system (five continental champions, host, plus six qualifiers from a qualifying tournament) than the present one? If that be so, then why are the Europeans making things more difficult for themselves?!
Even after we fail to finish in the top 8 of the world ranking list we will be able to compete in a qualifying tournament (without any of the top eight teams of the world plus China) and if we win that we are through. That means, assuming that we are No. 9 in the world, we will at best have No. 10 and/or No 11 with us (unless a rank outsider won one of the continental championships!). If we can’t hope to achieve that even, do we deserve a place in the Olympics?
Somehow the Indian media has spread the impression that this is beyond India’s capability and this is a method devised to keep India out. I can’t see how!
Every sport, where there is a quota system, has devised tough qualification procedures for Olympics. We have to accept the fact and stop thinking about Europeans out to destroy Asian hockey. The FIH President and others have time and again said that India is needed very much for hockey to survive at the world level. More people watch the sport here than anywhere else, on the ground, on TV. There are more sponsors in our country for the game than anywhere else!!
I read the FIH report that details the changes in the Olympic qualifying rules, and I came to the same conclusion as mugu has written in this forum.
Why are Indians afraid of the new changes?
IMHO, it has to do with inability of the Indian hockey team to win a tournament. If India has to qualify for the Olympics in hockey then the team has to:
- win the Asian Games gold medal
- do well in the World Cup and other tournaments to maintain or improve on their ranking
- win one of three qualifying tournaments
Read the new rules and what they mean to teams from various continents.
The Sports Authority of India has ordered eight eight new artificial turf hockey fields at a cost of Rs. 20-22 crores. According to the DNA report, some of the places getting the new hockey fields are Mumbai’s Kandivali centre, Coorg, Gandhinagar, Patiala, Kolkata and Rourkela. The National Stadium in New Delhi will get floodlights.
