New Delhi:Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur on Sunday criticised Hockey India’s decision to pull out of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England next year, saying that this is not the federation’s decision alone to make and that the government should have been consulted for the same.
Thakur said that being the main funder of the Olympic Games, the government has every right to decide on the representation of the national team. He said, "I think any federation should refrain from making such kind of statement and they should first discuss with the government as it is a national team, not a federation's team. In the country of 130 crores, not only 18 players represent the nation. Commonwealth Games is a global competition and I believe Hockey India should talk to the government and the concerned department. The decision will be taken by the government,"
Thakur's statement came after Hockey India decided to pull out of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games on Tuesday due to Covid-19 concerns and Britain's discriminatory rules related to segregation.
Hockey India had said, "there is only 32 days gap between the Birmingham Games (July 28 to August 8) and the Hangzhou Asian Games (September 10 to 25). While the team will directly qualify for the Paris Olympics to be held in 2024 after securing a gold medal in the Asian Games.