The dossiers are getting thicker. And training drills are being designed basis that. As much time is spent indoors – in the meeting rooms of hotels, stadiums, and training centers, plotting the downfall of every opponent – as the minutes spent on the field, where the plans will be put into motion.
Every move will be analysed and each match will be an audition. “It’s test matches now. Home stretch,” says coach Craig Fulton. “We are looking to confirm our Olympic squad.”
With that, the South African laid down the marker for India’s hockey players. Over the next fortnight, the eight games that India play against the Netherlands, Australia, Spain, and Ireland in the FIH Pro League in Odisha will, in essence, be the selection trials for the Paris Olympics squad.
The matches later this year, Fulton adds, will be used to build the bench strength so that ‘if there are injuries then we have depth.’
This gives the Pro League matches, otherwise seen as glorified exhibition games, an edge. And for the players who have been on the periphery of the national team, a final chance to impress the coach.
Especially the quartet that has made the progression from juniors to senior side in the last couple of years.
Chance for youngsters
Drag-flicker Sanjay, midfielders Vishnukant Singh and Rabichandra Moirangthem, and forward Araijeet Hundal have been seen as good enough to be included in a bloated 24-man squad for the matches in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. The next two weeks will determine if all or any of them have taken enough strides to displace some of the established names, Olympic medallists no less, for a place on the Paris-bound flight.
Each one has something unique to offer.
With drag-flicker and defender Varun Kumar out of the squad for the Pro League after he was accused of rape, Sanjay – who has featured consistently in Fulton’s sides including the Asian Games – has a chance to cement his spot. Source: The Indian Express
Tag: Olympic Games
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Eyes on youngsters as Craig Fulton looks to finalise India’s Olympic Games squad in Odisha
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Will Olympics come to India in 2036
By Prabhjot Singh After successfully holding the Asian Games, Afro Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games, India has now set its eyes to host the world’s biggest sporting event, the summer Olympic Games in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat in 2036.
Though India is yet to make a formal bid, its chances of becoming the fourth Asian city to hold the quadrangular sporting event will depend on the pitch it makes at the IOC session in Mumbai in September 2023. It will be for the first time ever that India will be hosting the IOC general session.
“This is the right time to host the Games. If India is making news in every sector from manufacturing to services, then why not in sports. Gujarat has several times expressed interest in hosting the Olympics. They have the infrastructure – from hostels and hotels to airports and sports complexes,” says Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur.
Anurag Thakur, who comes from Himachal Pradesh, says that the Union Government would stand by the new look Indian Olympic Association when it bids for the 2036 Olympic Games. Only early this month, the new look Indian Olympic Association elected its first ever Olympian PT Usha as its President. PT Usha is also a nominated member of Upper House of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, and represents the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Though Gujarator Ahmedabad have never held any major sporting event under the banner of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), it has of late shown great inclination after New Delhi, Pune and Hyderabad to host a world level sporting competition.
Anurag Thakur in his recent media interaction said that “if India can host the G20 Presidency in such a big way, I am sure the government will be able to host the Olympic Games along with the IOA. Since the slots are already booked till 2032, the earliest India can hope to host the Games is 2036. After 2036 onwards, we have hopes and I am sure India will prepare and bid for the Olympic Games.”
Indian government, he said, would prepare a roadmap in consultation with the Indian Olympic Association to be presented during the September 2023 IOC session in Mumbai. Hosting the prestigious IOC session for the first time on Indian soil offers a great opportunity for the country to showcase its potential as a host of major sporting events.
Going by Anurag Thakur, the Gujarat Government has already initiated plans to prepare itself for the mega event.
( Prabhjot Singh is a former editor of Tribune, India)