Now Reading: No Indian official selected for Hockey World Cup after 28 years
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No Indian official selected for Hockey World Cup after 28 years
India will have no umpire or technical official at the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup, beginning on August 15 in the Netherlands and Belgium. It is the country’s first absence from the…
The Story in Brief
India will have no umpire or technical official at the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup, beginning on August 15 in the Netherlands and Belgium. It is the country’s first absence from the officials’ panel since the 1998 tournament in Utrecht. Most selected officials are European.
India has six men and four women on the FIH umpiring panel, while four men and two women are technical officials. Former umpires RV Raghu Prasad and Satinder Sharma attributed the setback to inconsistent performances, limited international exposure and weak financial support. Hockey India’s domestic system has over 100 men’s and 70 women’s umpires, but former officials said a structured pathway, coaching-camp access and better career security are needed.
The Indian Opinion
The lazy reading is that India lacks umpiring talent. The record points to a thinner pipeline, fewer international assignments and poor incentives. The opposite claim, that selection is simply unfair to Indian officials, also needs proof, since the FIH assesses performances across major tournaments. The practical test is whether India can place officials at the next Olympics or World Cup, not whether its domestic pool looks large on paper.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
