'Concerns' about Delhi as venue for hockey World Cup

International Hockey Federation (FIH) president Els van Breda Saturday said that the body has some "concerns" regarding New Delhi as a probable host of the 2010 World Cup.

"We are negotiating with the Indian Hockey Confederation (IHC), and the negotiations are not finalised as yet. Some areas of concern have been identified," she said at a press conference here.

"But we are confident it will go well. I am not going into the details as the matter is between the FIH and IHC and is confidential," said van Breda, who accompanied International Olympic Council president Jacques Rogge at the inauguration of the Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) Olympic Bhavan in the city.

The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) had announced on March 22 that the FIH had allotted the conditional World Cup to Delhi.

"FIH will be sending the proposal for mutual agreement and everything will be finalised within a month," IHF secretary K. Jothikumaran had said then.

India has hosted the World Cup only once before, and that was in Mumbai in 1982. This would be the first time that India would host the World Cup on synthetic surface as in 1982 the tournament was played on natural grass.

IHF had bid for the World Cup in consultation with the ministry of youth affairs and sports, IOA and the Sports Authority of India.

The IHF bid was helped by the fact that the National Stadium - one of the two venues proposed to host the matches - would have been renovated for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to be held in the city eight months after the hockey World Cup.

The Commonwealth Games also has hockey in its sports programme.

(IANS)

Viewer's Comment

Comments Not Available

More Stories