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Aiming to revive hockey fortunes in the country, Sports Minister Ajay Maken on Saturday announced that a top-class national institute will be established at the Dhyan Chand Stadium with initial budget of Rs 20 crore.
Maken said the National Institute of Hockey, to be established under the aegis of SAI, was aimed at developing and implementing a comprehensive system for promotion and achieving excellence in the game.
"One national sports institute for at least one discipline will be established at each of five stadium complexes, used during the Commonwealth Games. A National Institute for Hockey is proposed at Major Dhyan Chand Stadium. It will give emphasis on research and development which is very much needed to take hockey in the country," he said at a press conference.
"SAI has prepared a concept paper and the cost for establishing the institute is expected to be Rs 20 crore," he added.
Maken said that the institute will interact with the best hockey/sports institutes in the world and will also follow the training regime of the Olympic medal winning athletes.
"After collecting intelligence about their training schedules and play strategies, the Institute would design customised training, coaching and recovery programmes for our top athletes.
"The institute will also try to imbibe such innovative and modern advancement in recovery techniques which are still not known to us. It will also work on the development of cost effective sports equipment and goods specially suited to the physical parameters of our athletes," Maken said.
He said during the formulation of the concept paper for the establishment of the institute, the ministry had taken views from national coach Michael Nobbs and people like former captain Viren Rasquinha.
Regarding the veiled threat issued by the International Hockey Federation that India risk even Olympic qualification if the current governance issues are sorted out, the minister said that he would be happy if the matter is resolved between the two warring factions through the IOA.
"FIH has rejected the broad agreement reached between Hockey India and Indian Hockey Federation reached on July 25. We don't want to do anything beyond IOA and FIH. So, I would be happy if the issues are resolved among IOA, HI and IHF," he said.
"We welcome the meeting called by IOA between HI and IHF on October 4 and hope they resolve the issues. It is the responsibility of IOA to bring HI and IHF to negotiating table and try to resolve the issue," he said.
Maken said if anything fruitful does not come out from the October 4 meeting, the ministry has called for a meeting among the IOA, HI and IHF on October 13 to resolve the issue.