New Delhi, Nov 17 (Bureau) Former Hockey captains Pargat Singh, Mir Ranjan Negi and Gurbux Singh have been included in the ‘Masters Committees’ constituted by Hockey India’s state member units to promote and develop the national game, the federation said on Tuesday. The initiative will provide opportunities for all age groups (both male and female) to continue their passion for hockey and remain active in the sport irrespective of any age barrier, Hockey India said in a statement.
In March, Hockey India joined 38 other national associations from around the world as a member of the World Masters Hockey (WMH). The WMH is the sole Masters entity recognized by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and is responsible for organising international masters hockey globally. To further carry out responsibilities at the state Level, HI has encouraged all the state member units to form working committees comprising former national and international hockey players to lead the state level activity. The committee’s first responsibility will be to ensure all the masters athletes of various age categories are registered on the Hockey India member units portal. The Hockey India Masters Committee, which will be overseeing all matters related to these masters matches and tournaments at the national level in India, is headed by Harbinder Singh as the chairman, RP Singh as the convener, with members including former India players B P Govinda, Jagbir Singh, A B Subbaiah, Surinder Kaur and M Renuka Lakshmi. Speaking about the overwhelming response received from state member units to form the Masters Committee, HI secretary general Rajinder Singh said, “We are happy to receive great support from our State Member Units who have promptly formed their respective Committees with some very prominent names of Indian hockey.
“I am confident with their passion and endeavour, we will be able to develop a platform for former players in the masters category to remain in the sport regardless of their age. One of the goals of the Masters Committee is to encourage players to come back onto the field and play hockey as a recreational activity and to stay in touch with the sport that they have always loved and been passionate about,” he added.