Anurag Thakur slams Hockey India, says decision over CWG participation should be made after consulting government
Anurag Thakur is the current Union Sports Minister
|Anurag Thakur has slammed Hockey India for not consulting the government before announcing that the Indian national teams won’t be featuring in the upcoming 2022 Commonwealth Games. The governing body had taken this decision to focus on assignments like 2022 Asian Games and 2024 Olympic qualifiers.
The Indian men’s hockey team claimed its first Olympics medal in 41 years when it claimed bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics earlier this year. On the other hand, the women’s team also played some exceptional hockey, with them narrowly missing out on a medal. With events like the 2022 Commonwealth Games, 2022 Asian Games, and the 2024 Paris Olympics round the corner; the squads are set to achieve higher goals.
However, it was only a few days ago that Hockey India announced that they would not be sending the national teams to the 2022 Commonwealth Games. The apex body took the bold decision to prioritise the 2022 Asian Games and the 2024 Paris Olympic qualifiers and also citing Covid-19 concerns. But, the decision did not go down well with the Indian government.
Anurag Thakur, the Union Sports Minister has recently slammed Hockey India for not consulting them before taking the decision. He stated that the governing body should ‘refrain from giving such statements and consult the government first, cause it’s not the federation's team, but the national team.
“I think any federation should refrain from giving such statements and discuss with the government first because it’s just not federation's team, its national team,” said Anurag Thakur, as reported by PTI
“In a country of 130 crore population, there are not just 18 players to represent country. It (CWG) is a global event I feel that they (Hockey India) should engage with government and concerned department. The decision will be taken by the government,” he added.
