At the turn of the century, for reasons best known to them, the Indian Hockey Federation had decided to stop conducting the senior nationals, whereby denying many an upcoming player the chance to play in an event which could have been the stepping stone in their nascent careers.

Though the prestigious tournament was restarted two years ago, the damage was done. While some countries have had a five-year plan in their countdown preparations to the Olympics, the IHF was sitting tight.

Former junior India coach Clarence Lobo was the first one to notice a shift in the focus of the young boys in the camp as he reveals, “All of them wanted to play for the country, but none said they wanted to win a medal for India.

“The nationals are a must as they are the platform where the state players get noticed. Even players coming from remote parts of the country can participate for their respective states.

“From the quantity that the selectors get from these nationals, they can choose the quality,” points out Lobo, while adding, “Selecting players from academies and SAI are other options, but look at a place like Coorg — the nursery for hockey players in Karnataka. They need to have the nationals as a medium to showcase their talent.” Lobo is not the only one complaining. Former international Gurbux Singh says, “There is hardly any seriousness in the IHF. Without holding an annual senior national championship, how will they get a new crop?”

... contd.