Anurag Thakur criticises Hockey India for pulling out of CWG in Birmingham

Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur said the government has every right to decide on the representation of the national team. His 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.

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.

Citing an example of cricket sports minister said, there is no dearth of hockey talent across the nation and it is not new for the professional players to play the matches back to back.

"There is no lack of hockey talent in India, if you look at cricket, IPL is going on after which there will be a World cup. If cricketers can play matches one after another then why cannot the same be done in other sports? I can understand that the Asian Games is being prioritised and I am not going into this issue. I am just saying where the Indian team will play, it doesn't only depend on the federation but also on the government," Thakur added.

Meanwhile, Thakur said that the meeting of the selection committee for this year's National Sports Awards will be held in the next 10 days. "The selection committee is scheduled to meet in the next 10 days where the decision will be taken on the award winners. The awards will be distributed after getting time from the President," he said.

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