IOA promises no interference in IHF selection committee

New Delhi, May 1 (UNI) Indian Olympic Association (IOA) today promised no interference in the selection committee of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF).

''There is no question of our interfering in the functioning of the newly consituted IHF selection committee,'' IOA Secretary General Randhir Singh told newspersons here this afternoon.

The IOA has done its job by setting up five member selection committee comprising of the olympians and now it is upto them to chalk out plan for the revival of the game in the country.

''The IOA's first job after suspending the IHF was to appoint the selection committee comprising of eminent players so that selection process becomes very transparent and clean,'' Randhir Singh said.

He disclosed that IOA had received a letter from the government asking for ''our comments'' on the selection of the team for Azlan Shah Hockey tournament to be held in Ipoh, Malaysia from May 8 to 18.

''We have called the meeting of the selection committee for that purpose,'' he added.

He said the team for Azlan Shah tourney will go under the banner of Indian Hockey Confederation (IHC).

IHF selection committee chief Aslam Sher Khan, who addressed the media for the first time after taking over the charge along with Zafar Iqbal, Ashok Kumar, Ajit Pal Singh and Ric Charlesworth, said a senior team will represent the country in the Azlan Shah tourney.

''This is a major tournament and we have to take it seriously,'' he said.

Asked what happens to the development team which was to take part in this tourney, Khan shot back ''For last eight years we have been hearing about development teams, but where are those teams.'' ''We can send such (development)teams, if we have them for coaching cum pertaining purposes to Europe and other places but for big tournaments senior team will go,'' he asserted.

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