Warring hockey bodies reduce WSH to a sham

"I missed the Olympics, you fought. I returned to the Olympics, you fought. And just when I felt I can walk unassisted, you've again turned combative."

It's not a challenge to figure out who the 'you' is in this sobbing soliloquy of Indian hockey. It keeps switching its gaze from Hockey India (HI) to the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), hoping at least one would stop the tirade, but to no avail. Our national game's eyes are thus swollen red, four months away from the Olympics.

The sport is never wrong, be it hockey or any other. It's the individuals – those playing it, those governing it or both – who are at fault. While the incompetence of even one person can result in failure, the breakdown of both brings about a catastrophe. Indian hockey – having qualified for the Olympics – has avoided the catastrophe, but if this jostle for administrative rights doesn't end soon, failure will become inevitable.

The Indian team is looking good; fitter, more agile and proving the talent that has been in our sporting DNA since India first won an Olympic gold in 1928. But the possibility of ending a 32-year medal drought is microscopic, especially amid this tug of war between HI and the IHF.

Who's right and who's not is not the problem here. The problem is that while one manages to do something right, the other tries to prove it is wrong. That's where the game itself has been left in the lurch.

The latest example of that has been the World Series Hockey (WSH). The innovative league is paying for the national game travelling in two boats. Had there been a unified body governing hockey in India, WSH would not have been reduced to the sham that it's turning out to be.

With the IHF associated with WSH, HI made sure that the blue-eyed-boys of Indian hockey remain dissociated with the league despite having signed on the dotted line. That has left the much-anticipated WSH begging for attention, which past stalwarts like Dhanraj Pillay, Viren Rasquinha, Brent Livermore (Australia) and the like have failed to invite with their return. In fact, their expectedly unimpressive return has left fans questioning whether it was needed at all.

Nimbus, the joint owner of WSH, has also let a good initiative down with some shoddy broadcasting. The commentators seem ill-prepared while the camera angles are at best amateurish. The substandard coverage is more noticeable since WSH opened on the heels of India's Olympics return that saw a thoroughly professional TV coverage beamed on TEN Sports.

But what's happening between HI and the IHF in the backroom is hurting the game. And there are two more players in the middle of this 'wrest-the-initiative' game – the Sports Ministry of India and the FIH.

The Sports Ministry – which has been trying to play middleman – seems to be in a dilemma. While it had no reason to oppose the FIH-and-HI-backed Olympics qualifiers, the Ministry has thrown its weight behind WSH as well, terming it as a lift to the game of hockey that has lost ground over time. Ajay Maken has already made a futile attempt to bring about a merger between HI and the IHF, which has once again put the ball in the Sports Ministry's court to attempt another winning shot.

The FIH president Leandro Negre, during his visit to the country in February, once again made it clear that the world body recognises HI, and any event – like WSH – not supported by HI will remain 'unsanctioned'. That has also put a question mark over the future of players, coaches and other support staff participating in WSH. Will they face sanctions from the FIH or will the apex body take a lenient view of the situation considering an unclear 'Line of Control' in the country?

As of now, both parties have had their way. The Sports Ministry has okayed HI's revised dates of the Olympics camp in Bangalore and the IHF is going about its WSH business merrily. However, what lies ahead holds the key to Indian hockey's future. If hockey has to thrive and if initiatives like WSH have to survive, we need tranquility at the top.

Let the hostilities be reserved for India's opponents on the pitch. Let's first restore peace at home; an Olympic medal will surely follow.