Hockey problems: Stars made to live in awful conditions at national championships

The room which houses a team of 18 players: Courtesy Bangalore Mirror

The exponents of the one of India’s most important sports – hockey – are being meted out the worst possible treatment at the highest level. The latest clamour has come out of the Senior Nationals at the Guru Govind Sports College in Lucknow, where the teams have been lodged in terrible conditions.

The players have been given a rather bizarre reality check after the top-notch administration of the recently concluded Hockey India League, where they were treated with lavish accommodation and facilities.

But at the Nationals, the players have complained of unruly and unhygienic conditions, with mosquitoes hampering their sleep at night following a difficult day at the office. One player, who wished not to be named, had to take the extreme step of moving out and staying at a nearby hotel, away from his team-mates, at his own expense.

“Our team is here for the last 15 days, and we have been going through several problems. I can’t stay in the room, that’s why I opted for a nearby hotel. I feel sad to be away from the team, but I just couldn’t fight the mosquitoes,” the player told Mirror.

Another player pointed out the lack of ventilation in the room, which has no attached toilets. The food, which was decent, was the only saving grace according to this player.

“The room is big enough to host an entire team of 16-18, but it lacks ventilation. The toilets and wash-basin are a few metres away from the room. The only positive here is the food. The room may be in a mess, but the food is great,” he said.

A former player was disgusted with the latest scenario.

“What do I say? Everyone’s claiming that hockey has changed for the better with the arrival of HIL, and it indeed is good for Indian hockey, but what about these tournaments? I don’t see any change, the conditions are the same as they were in our times,” he said.

Uttar Pradesh Hockey and tournament secretary RP Singh claims he did the best he could. He also defended himself by saying that he has not received a single complaint from any of the other teams yet.

“It is not easy to provide accommodation to 42 teams. People complaining should sit in my chair and see how difficult things are. We have provided mosquito repellents and two sprays to every room. We are doing the best we can. And to bring to your notice, I haven’t received any complaints from any team,” he said.

The complaints were not restricted to accommodation, as the players also grumbled about the hectic schedule. An ex official stated that the two-tier system has not yet found favour with teams.

“Earlier, we had inter-zonal matches and then the best teams battled it out for the title. Another important aspect is that there are very few venues that can provide accommodation to all the 42 teams, even if it is at different times,” he said.