Two days after an Indian hockey team-less Olympics ended, KPS Gill is ensuring that the sport gets back in the headlines, courtesy the Indian Hockey Federation’s tug of war.

Gill, despite being shunted out of the IHF office by the Indian Olympic Association, has sent out a letter to all state associations, informing them about the Annual General Meeting to be held in New Delhi on September 17.

While the IOA-supported ad hoc committee has ridiculed the move, Gill has justified his August 25 correspondence to the IHF affiliated units.

“Since we have questioned the IOA’s action to dissolve our body in the Delhi High Court, we retain the right to call the meeting,” Gill told The Indian Express.

Expectedly, the ad-hoc body convenor Mohammad Aslam countered the man who has had 15-year stint at the IHF helm. “How can he call an AGM, for the simple reason that the IHF doesn’t exist at present? I don’t think there will be any response to his call,” said Khan.

Change of stance

But in an interesting twist, a few long-standing Gill-baiters within the IHF seem to be changing their stance. The president of the Mumbai Hockey Association Keher Singh says that he is willing to attend the AGM next month. “Though the MHA committee will sit and decide, I personally think that every state association should go for the meeting. The reason I say this is because the ad hoc committee has alienated the state associations,” said Kehar. Singh felt that the IOA should have included state representatives in the committee and called for fresh elections.

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