# No Indian official at Hockey World Cup for first time in 28 years 2026-08-07T10:51:33+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet For the first time since 1998, India will have no umpire or technical official at the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup, which starts on August 15 in the Netherlands and Belgium. European countries dominate the officials' panel. India has produced only four men's World Cup umpires in the modern era: Amarjit Singh Bawa, Tarlok Singh Bhullar, Satinder Sharma, and RV Raghu Prasad, who retired last year as the first Asian to officiate in 200 international matches. The former umpires say the lack of international exposure, financial insecurity, and the absence of a structured pathway are to blame. Hockey India lists over 100 men's umpires and 70 women's umpires domestically, but only six Indian men and four women are on the FIH umpiring panel. Satinder Sharma said Indian umpires need more chances to officiate in top tournaments to bridge the gap. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com - thehindu.com Tags: hockey, Hockey India, Hockey World Cup, umpiring Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/no-indian-official-selected-for-hockey-world-cup-after-28-years/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/no-indian-official-selected-for-hockey-world-cup-after-28-years/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.