Online entry to facilitate participation in National Games

The participation of the hockey teams in the 34th National Games from February 12 to 26 will not be an issue now.

Jamshedpur: The participation of the hockey teams in the forthcoming 34th National Games to be hosted by

Jharkhand from February 12 to 26 will not be an issue now, as the online entry system has been put in place and they can send their names after the senior national championships, the organisers said. As per the rules, the best seven teams each in men and women category, besides the host teams, have to send their entries for the mega-sporting event at least a month before. However, while the Senior Women National Hockey championship will be held from January 20 to 28 at Rohtak in Haryana, the Senior Men`s National championship will start from January 29 and end on February 8, barely four days before the beginning of the National Games. The National Games organisers claimed that the short time for the team entry will not be a problem due to existing online entry. S M Hashmi, Secretary General of 34th National Games Organising Committee (NGOC), said the schedule of National Games is already ready and we will have to adjust the timing of a particular event depending on the entry of the team. The entry of seven best teams each of men and women will be made online immediately after the championship concludes and the organiser would schedule the timing of hockey events accordingly, Hashmi, who is also the secretary of the Jharkhand Olympic Association, said. Meanwhile, secretary of Hockey Jharkhand Pir Mohammad said that they will conduct a selection-cum-coaching camp for the National Championship as well as the National Games in the first week of January. A month-long camp for men and women will be held at Ranchi and the team selection will be based on the performance of the players, he said. Pir Mohammad claimed that Jharkhand has a good prospect in the men and women hockey events. As the dates for National Games was drawing closer, the state government has pulled up its socks and geared up to make the Games a success even though the dates clashed with the World Cup cricket to be hosted jointly by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh from February 19. PTI