BENGALURU: The twin challenge of the FIH World Cup and the Asian Games that awaits India’s men’s and women’s hockey teams was the broad theme of a panel discussion organised as part of World Sports Journalists Day celebration held at the KSBA premises here.
M.M. Somaya, former India international and gold medallist at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, and Sjoerd Marijne, coach of the Indian women’s hockey team, spoke on the subject ‘Indian Hockey: Big year, bigger aspirations’ at the event organised by the Sports Writers Association of Bangalore and sponsored by Accident Relief Care.
While a gold medal at the Asian Games in September will ensure a berth at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the World Cup which precedes the continental championship is expected to offer the ideal lead-up.
“We are at full strength for the World Cup, which suggests we are taking it seriously,” opined Somaya. “We are ranked eighth in the world among men and ninth among women. So it is important to win as many matches as we can. The Cup format has also changed and it has three stages, which means we have to focus on every match.”
The fact that less than 20 days separate the World Cup and the Asian Games can make it harder for teams physically, but Marijne felt that it was not a cause for worry.
“Like it was in 2018, the World Cup can help us at the Asian Games,” said the Dutchman, who led India to a historic fourth-place finish at Tokyo 2020 Olympics. “We have to focus on good strength and conditioning.
“But it is important for us to play a lot of matches. It will help the girls understand tactics better and also adjust to opponents’ tactics.”
On the occasion, Somaya and Marijne also reflected on their long association with scribes, both during their playing days and after retirement. Somaya, in fact, dabbled in journalism after his on-field career, with the 1989 Champions Trophy in Berlin his first with the pen.
“It has been a wonderful relationship over the years,” said Somaya. “You journalists have been very constructive and responsible. You have often shown us the mirror, and we did a lot of introspection thanks to you.”
Tripura Sports Journalists Club observed World Sports Journalists Day
Kit distribution
AGARTALA: The Tripura Sports Journalists Club observed World Sports Journalists Day by organising a kit distribution programme to support grassroots sports development. Club officials visited Jampuijala (32 km) away from capital city Agartala) to present football jerseys to promising young female footballers, a gesture aimed at boosting local participation in women’s sports. The initiative received an enthusiastic response from the upcoming football players. The event was attended by Jampuijala Play Centre President Sachin Kalai and Coach Subodh Debbarma. The delegation from the Tripura Sports Journalists Club was led by President Saraju Chakraborty, alongside Vice-President Suprabhat Debnath, Secretary Anirban Dev, and Treasurer Utpal Bhattacharya.
Build stronger sports culture
BHUBANESWAR: Sports is vital for overall physical and mental well-being of a person and everyone should be encouraged to engage in regular sporting activity, said commissioner-cum-secretary, sports and youth services, Bhupendra Singh PoonIa, here.
At an event organised by the Odisha Sports Journalists’ Association to celebrate the World Sports Journalists Day as well as the golden jubilee year of the Sports Journalists Federation of India, at Kalinga Stadium here, Poonia noted that sports helps in building physical and mental endurance and hence youngsters in particular should take up some sports or the other.
Lauding the contribution of sports journalists in promoting sports and sportspersons, he said sports journalists shouldn’t limit their coverage to the successes achieved by sportspersons but also work towards creating a culture for sports in the state.
Participating in a discussion on the ‘state of football in Odisha’, former Indian women’s captain Shradhanjali Samantray said Odisha has a good pool of talented women footballers and more players from the state should make it to the national team in the near future. She shared experiences of her playing days and how journalists had always supported her journey. “The infrastructure, resources and opportunities back then were limited. Now there is no such problem,” she pointed out.
Echoing similar sentiments, renowned football coach Suvendu Panda said no player can complain of dearth of resources because the state government is now investing a lot in sports including football. “Odisha’s football ecosystem is fine but to get better results we need to work harder,” he opined.
International footballer Pyari Xaxa appreciated the role of sports journalists in her career and said, “I was simply Pyari Xaxa from a remote village in Sundargarh district. You (the sports journalists) have given me an identity and recognition.”
President of OSJA Sandeep Mishra threw light on Odisha’s achievements in football and stressed the need for better documentation of the contributions of the state’s football legends like Abdul Majid, Golak Samal, Bharati Mishra, Debendra Prasad Singh, Rajendra Prasad Singh, Shradhanjali Samantray and Sasmita Mallick so that youngsters can learn about them and get inspired.
Working president of OSJA Samikhya Patnaik accentuated the need for the state government to extend full cooperation to sports journalists to enable them to play a bigger role in the growth and development of sports in Odisha.
At the event the annual souvenir of OSJA was unveiled. Senior journalist and founding member of OSJA Susanta Mohanty was also felicitated. Two dance performances (Odissi and folk) were staged by the Bhubaneswar-based Shree Dasavatara Natyashala dance troupe led by Mamata Satpathy. OSJA general secretary Tapan Kumar Swain proposed the vote of thanks.
Equipment distributed
NAGPUR: Sports Journalists’ Association of Nagpur (SJAN) celebrated World Sports Journalists’ Day by distributing volleyball equipment to the students of Vivekanand Hindi Primary School. SJAN also honoured meritorious wards of SJAN members Gargi Kunte, Samruddhi Ramteke and Devang Singh at SJAN office. A two minute silence was also observed on the death of former NJWJ president TB Golhar.
Scribes turn players
KOLKATA: The special day was celebrated in a befitting manger as sports journalists themselves became sportspersons by participating in three indoor sport. The members and other sports journalists of Calcutta Sports Journalists’ Club took part in carrom, darts and table tennis and the response was overwhelming.
Young and old competed fiercely and finally three winners and three runners-up were identified. The best part was three young ladies took part in the competition and were given special awards.
Former India and current Bengal cricket team head coach, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, the Secretary of the country’s oldest football association, the Indian Football Association (WB), Anirban Dutta, and former Indian table tennis player and coach, Soumyadeep Roy, graced the programme and distributed the trophies.
Among the celebrities who wished the sports scribes were Union sports minister Mansukh L. Mandaviya, ICC Chairman Jay Shah, AIPS President, Gianni Merlo, among others. Sports lovers took to social media to celebrate the day.
