Bengalurean among 2 from India to officiate at Olympics
BENGALURU: For the first time since 2004, Karnataka drew a blank in the Olympics-bound Indian hockey team. But there will still be one from Karnataka on the pitch in Tokyo with umpire RV Raghuprasad set for his second Olympic appearance. Following his debut at the quadrennial extravaganza in 2012 in London, Raghuprasad was among the reserve umpires for the Rio Games.
"I'm very happy to be officiating in my second Olympics having missed out on the Rio Games. What makes it more special is that two of us from India are on the umpires' panel. With Javed (Shaikh) also in the mix it augurs well for Indian umpires," Raghuprasad told.
Back in the Olympic fold, Raghuprasad is looking to make the opportunity count, especially after enduring a tough year-and-a-half due to the pandemic.
In the build-up to the Olympics, the umpires get match practice at test events and other international tournaments but the last international tournament the 43-year-old officiated was the FIH Pro League matches in Australia in January 2020. With the onset of Covid-19, hockey action came to a standstill. Although short on match practice, Raghuprasad believes he is fresh and sharp for the event.
"Barring a few umpires who officiated in the Pro League in Europe and a few other tour games, most of us haven't officiated much since last year, but we have all been preparing for the Olympics. In February this year, Javed and I got an opportunity to stand in during the Oman League which gave us some much-needed match practice," revealed the Bengaluru umpire who represented Karnataka as a player.
Elaborating further on the groundwork, the seasoned umpire who made his international debut in 2003 pointed out, "For us fitness is very important and I stayed focused on it throughout. I joined Academy of Strength last year and during lockdowns I worked on my fitness with online classes. It wasn't the ideal preparation, but the best given the prevailing circumstances."
Raghuprasad has also been attending the FIH umpires' briefings over the past three months which he said has helped him prepare better for the Games. He will also fall back on his experience of having officiated in 158 senior international matches.
Raghuprasad signed off by thanking FIH and Hockey India for their support and added, "I'm also grateful to Bengaluru Hockey Association, Hockey Karnataka, my friends and family for their support especially in these testing times."
