Hockey India begins to consider the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
The resuscitation of the Hockey India League, according to Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey, will help prepare young people for the future.
Hockey India (HI) has begun planning for the men’s hockey team’s 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after the team won bronze for the second time in a row in the Paris Olympics.
A day after the main sponsor, the Odisha government, honored the bronze medal winning team, HI president and former India captain Dilip Tirkey discussed the goals of his federation.
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“We need to get ready for the Olympics in 2028 right away. The coach and selectors would need to meet after the 2026 Asian Games, which serves as an Olympic qualifying event, to determine how many players from the team will be able to play in Los Angeles, Tirkey said to The Hindu on Thursday, August 22, 2024.
Nine players on the current team will be over 30 in four years, and three players are already in their 30s. Goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh has announced his retirement.
In addition to the Olympics, we also need to consider how we want to do at important competitions like the World Cup and the FIH Pro League. The Asian Champions Trophy for men (Hulunbuir City, China, September 8–17) and women (to be determined) presents the immediate challenge.
According to Tirkey, the Hockey India League’s (HIL) rebirth will help develop young people for the future.
“There will be benefits for the local coaches and young players. It is significant that the women’s competition has been included. It will increase the HIL’s size.
HI must manage some issues pertaining to HIL, which debuted in 2013 and ran for five iterations.
The more difficult task is ensuring its long-term success. The franchise agreements have essentially been finalized. The government of Odisha remains our pillar. In order to support hockey, I hope corporate houses would get involved wholeheartedly,” Tirkey stated.
HI has chosen to make certain of these events, including the National championships, mandatory for all players in an effort to draw more players to the domestic competitions. It could now need to reconsider its choice.
It was agreed that participation in two domestic competitions and the national championships would be required of all participants. We are aware that there have been more global events. We need to reconsider it in light of the upcoming HIL. However, it might still be required to compete in the National Championships, according to Tikey.
The introduction of junior and sub-junior inter-zonal championships this year, according to the former captain of India, will expose the youth to greater competitive opportunities. “More exposure will help our under-17 and under-19 players become more skilled,” Tirkey stated.
