Parents won’t stop kids from playing hockey now
Days before both our Indian teams left for Tokyo, I was in Bengaluru. Even though I would have loved to, I could not go to meet them due to the Covid-19 restrictions. So, I wrote a personal letter to both teams. I wrote to them about how to enjoy the Olympics atmosphere, the Games Village, and playing at the biggest stage.
This medal will be celebrated for a long, long time, because that is how long it has taken for Indian hockey to get here again. I want them to enjoy this victory; spend time with family; go on holiday. They have sacrificed so much.
The boys and the coaches have stayed away from home for long, being in one place for almost a year-and-a-half.
This was not a one-day process. A lot of coaches have played a role in the development of this team. We’ve had many foreign coaches, and also Harendra Singh. His 2016 World Cup triumph with the junior team was a defining moment as well. Eight players from that team were part of the Tokyo squad.
I have been fortunate enough to know some of the players of the 1980 gold medal-winning squad— Zafar Iqbal sir, Merwyn Fernandes sir and Baskaran sir, who was our coach at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. I would only hear all these people talk about the feeling of winning an Olympic medal.
Even with some top teams missing, the 1980 gold was crucial. It inspired players of the next generation. This medal, too will have a huge impact on the younger generation wanting to take up hockey. They will look up to PR Sreejesh, Harmanpreet Singh, Rupinderpal Singh and Savita Punia. More importantly, their parents will also have seen this; they will not stop their kids if they want to be the next Sreejesh or Savita or Harmanpreet.
A lot of changes have taken place over the years in the sport, be it terms of infrastructure or the budget allocated. You see centres like Bhubaneswar and Ranchi blossoming now. I am confident that this will further boost that process of change. Look at where these set of players have reached now. Some of them came from limited backgrounds, and didn’t even have hockey sticks or shoes when they started playing the sport.
Hopefully, this can also revive the hockey league. That will bring in more money and more recognition for our players.
My message to the team: let’s carry the momentum of this victory. Be consistent in the future tournaments—you have Olympics in three years, the World Cup in 18 months, the Asian Games next year. Take some time off now but begin the process towards that soon. Start afresh. Build on the good things and rectify the things that didn’t go well.