Anurag Thakur questions Hockey India's decision to withdraw from 2022 Commonwealth Games

Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday slammed Hockey India over its unilateral decision to withdraw from the upcoming Commonwealth Games in the United Kingdom. Thakur, while speaking to the press, said the hockey federation should have consulted the sports ministry and the government before making the decision to withdraw from the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Thakur also hit out at the players saying if cricketers can play in IPL as well as the World Cup, why can't hockey players participate in the Asian and Commonwealth Games? 

"I feel an association or a federation should refrain from giving these kinds of statements and instead they should consult with the government and the concerned department because it is not a federation team that goes to international events, it is the national team. In a country of 130 crore people, only 18 players cannot represent India. In my opinion, they must engage with the sports department and ministry and the government should make the decision. India doesn't have only 18 players. If cricketers can play in IPL as well as the world cup, why can't hockey players participate in Asian & Commonwealth Games?" Thakur said. 

Hockey India's statement

The Indian men's and women's hockey teams on Tuesday had announced their decision to pull out of the Commonwealth Games 2022, which is set to be held from July 28, 2022, to August 08, 2022, in Birmingham, England, saying they want to put all their focus on Asian Games 2022. The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will see 4,500 athletes from 72 nations and territories compete across 11 spectacular days of sports. The Asian Games, on the other hand, is slated to begin on September 10, 2022, in Hangzhou, China. The multi-sport event will last for 15 days until September 25, 2022. 

"Since the Asian Games is a continental qualification event for the Paris Olympics 2024, the Indian Men's and Women's Hockey Teams will need to be at their very best when they take part in the Asian Games in September 2022. It is a priority for the teams to win the Gold medal at the Asian Games 2022, thus securing direct qualification for the Indian Men and Women teams for the Paris Olympic Games and allowing the teams almost 2 years to fully prepare for the Olympics," Hockey India had said in its statement. 

The Indian men's hockey team won the bronze medal for the country in this year's Tokyo Olympics. The women's team missed out on a medal but they played some exceptional hockey to finish fourth in Tokyo Olympics. 

Image: PTI