SGPC to prepare hockey team of international standard

Patiala, Dec 15 (UNI) Bemoaning the fall of Indian hockey, Akali Dal Chief Parkash Singh Badal today said the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committe (SGPC) planned to restore the national game to its lost glory.

The SGPC will build a new hockey team from the grassroots and train it for international level, picking up the players from the schools and colleges run by the Commitee, Mr Badal said.

The SGPC had already been giving training to the youth in various sports and 14 girls from SAI centre of Badal village had been chosen for getting national coaching training at Indore, Mr Badal said.

Mr Badal, who was responding to a media query about the demand for removal of KPS Gill from the post of president of Indian Hockey (IHF), opined that the condition of Hockey had deteriorated during Mr Gill's term.

''The IHF should introspect the reasons for the fall of hockey at the international level and why this game was treated as an orphan when the bigwigs are at top slot,'' he said at a press meet here.

''I feel that the state of Indian hockey has disintegrated to such an extent that India may have think to stop playing hockey at international level altogether,'' Mr Badal said.

UNI XC JN AY HT1604