Babu hockey: It’s time to ‘stick’ around
The 39th edition is set to begin from Sunday with 12 teams making it to the six-day knockout tournament
LUCKNOW:Even after being organised for the last 38 years without a break, the All India KD Singh ‘Babu’ Invitation Men’s Hockey Tournament seems to have lost charm amongst players as well as fans as there have been no takers for the event for the last many years.
It is one of the prestigious events of the hockey-loving Uttar Pradesh Sports Directorate of the state government. The tournament offers Rs 2 lakh to winners, Rs 1 lakh and Rs 50,000, to the runners-up and the team bagging the third place.
Also, player of the tournament will be richer by Rs 20,000, whereas best goalkeeper, full back, forward and half would get Rs 10,000 each.
Even then, the tournament is lacking the attention of good teams as well as fans who don’t even bother to step inside the Padma Shree Mohd Shahid Stadium in Vijayantkhand.
“Prize money has been the biggest issue for the participating teams. There are many other tournaments which offer big prize money. So we find it a waste of time and energy too,” said a Punjab player Gurjinder Singh. “Raise the prize money as well as standard of the event and I feel everybody would love to come to Lucknow to play,” he added.
“Hike in prize money isn’t my jurisdiction, but we are trying to keep the standard of the event up,” organising secretary Jitendra Yadav said on Friday. “We don’t have private sponsorships for the event too,” he added.
The 39th edition of the tournament is due to begin on Sunday with the participation of 12 teams. They include PNB, SCR (Secunderabad), Sports College (Lucknow), runners-up SAI (Lucknow), defending champions Indian Oil (Delhi), NCR (Allahabad), Indian Air Force, Hostel XI, Eastern Railway (Kolkata), CAG (Delhi), SAI (Bhopal) and Air India (Delhi).
UP Sports Hostel lifted the winners’ trophy jointly with Indian Airlines just once in 1986. During the last 45 years the purpose of the event, which was kicked off in 1973, has been to motivate and inspire the hostel as well as local players to raise the standard of their game.
In fact, the hockey tourney isn’t the only one on the state government’s list of events that has lost attractions. The sports directorate’s other events like women’s hockey, men’s football, men and women volleyball and even the prestigious Indira marathon too have been struggling for the participation of good teams.
Indira marathon, which has been a regular feature since 1985 in Prayagraj, seems to have become a local event as none of the top athletes, including UP’s own Sudha Singh, participates in the event. Less prize money has been one of the main reasons for non-participation of top athletes.
“Compare the prize money of Indira marathon with many other marathons happening at Mumbai, Delhi, Pune and Bengaluru. That’s why top athletes keep a distance from the Prayagraj event,” said a top marathon runner of India on condition of anonymity, adding, “Bring some professionalism in the event and raise the prize money only then you will have top athletes.”
ITHE SPORTS DIRECTORATE’S OTHER EVENTS LIKE WOMEN’S HOCKEY, MEN’S FOOTBALL, MEN AND WOMEN VOLLEYBALL AND EVEN THE PRESTIGIOUS INDIRA MARATHON TOO HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING FOR THE PARTICIPATION OF GOOD TEAMS