The postponement of the Tokyo Olympics due to COVID-19 pandemic has forced the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to re-evaluate preparations for the same.
On Saturday, it began the process, with SAI DG Sandip Pradhan holding a video conference with Hockey India officials, including CEO Elena Norman and High Performance Director David John. The men’s and women’s chief coaches were also present.
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Various modalities including teams’ training and domestic and foreign competitions were discussed with the coaches expressing satisfaction at the measures currently in place at the SAI Centre in Bengaluru.
“We had a positive discussion about the state of affairs and indicated our preferences once the situation improves and as soon as more is known about the possibilities in the future,” women’s chief coach Sjoerd Marijne said.
“We had a very productive meeting, discussed the planning process for the next 16 months and await decisions as to when we can re-start full training,” men’s coach Graham Reid added.
Hockey India gives ₹75 lakh more
Hockey India, meanwhile, added another ₹75 lakh to take its contribution to the PM-CARES fund to ₹1 crore to counter the spread of COVID-19.
The federation had earlier committed ₹25 lakh before its Executive Board decided to up the amount on Saturday.
